Remaining warm on the ice involves various components–and some often overlooked principles. One of these is proper hydration. Cold, dry environs continually work against the body. In its worst form, dehydration may have dire health consequences. On another level–one many anglers might not even be aware of–not staying adequately hydrated also makes it difficult to remain warm, because without proper hydration, metabolism slows, so your body produces less heat. Fluids, on the other hand, fuel the fire.
How can you tell if you’re becoming dehydrated? Signs include a nagging headache, feeling faint, dizzy, tired or listless. Should you begin experiencing any of these symptoms, try downing six or eight ounces of water. The right fluids, specifically, those of the non-alcohol and non-caffeinated variety, power metabolism, helping your body continue generating heat. In fact, consuming the right types of liquids will often help provide some nearly immediate relief.
Water is the best elixir, followed by juice or non-caffeinated coffee or herbal tea. While some forms of alcoholic beverages may feel warm, alcohol actually has an undesirable cooling effect on the body–and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, cola, even cocoa are diuretics, substances prompting the body to expel fluids. When release exceeds intake, the result contributes to dehydration.
Don’t let this happen! Instead, drink the right types of fluids, frequently, to help avoid the complications of dehydration while jump starting your body’s metabolism. The result will be you’ll stay warmer and more comfortable—in turn enabling you to focus on more important things, such as catching fish.
Tom Gruenwald is truly passionate about the outdoors and is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the sport of ice fishing. Throughout the years, his expertise has been sought for in-depth ice fishing presentations, seminars and advanced contributions to various outdoor periodicals throughout the world. He’s appeared as a guest on numerous radio and TV shows, authored four ice fishing books and now hosts his own TV show, “Tom Gruenwald Outdoors,”. TGO is the first program of its kind dedicated solely to ice fishing. View all posts by Tom Gruenwald