OUTDOOR TOD - TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT
GET SOME SCRAN! IN PREVIOUS INSTALMENTS JON HAS TALKED ABOUT BEING PREPARED, FROM GAME DAY BOOKING TO IN DEPTH CLOTHING AND LAYERING INFO. ONE THING WE ALL LOVE BUT COMPLETELY OVERLOOK ON A GAME DAY, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO ENTER A 24 HOUR PLUS EVENT, IS FOOD AND DRINK - OR WHAT WE BRITS FONDLY REFER TO AS “SCRAN”!
IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN SOURCE
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t’s important here that I state I am not a Nutritionist and the content of this article is not to be taken as medical advice, nor should you deviate from any advice a professional has given you, but IT IS based on good old common sense and a bit of research! Most of us are aware that your average active adult male requires approximately 2500 calories and a female requires 2000 calories per day to maintain their current body weight. Studies have shown, active military personnel that are on patrol or the front line often require double that to maintain their body weight. That’s 5000 calories or 4000 calories per day. It stands to reason doesn’t it? If you are constantly moving, firing, carrying heavy kit, under serious pressure and stressors and so on, you will burn more than normal to fuel your body. Next onto hydration; studies show us that the average person should be taking on a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. That includes the liquid in our foods. The US Military recommends 4 US Gallons of water a day for consumption, that’s 15.2 litres of water a day, SEVEN times more than a civilian! Granted that is for personnel operating in hot climates, but it’s quite an eye opener, especially when
you compare it to what a “normal” civilian requires. I’ve played in 30 degree Celsius (86 degree Fahrenheit) temps and drank nothing like that. I should have though, I felt bloody awful for the latter part of the event and well into the next day. The problem with not eating or (more importantly) drinking enough is that there is a huge impact on the body and its ability to function and concentrate on the task at hand. Studies have shown that just 2% loss of your body’s water can have a significant impact on your cognitive functions. This happens after as little as two hours. TWO HOURS! One of the tests that I found interesting was subjects had to repeatedly press a button when instructed by a visual cue to do so for varying periods of time. This is where dehydrated individuals fared the worst. Sound familiar? See something, press a button (or at least, pull a trigger). Armed with that information what options are available to us to ensure that we stay hydrated and well fed? Food is a complex one, personal tastes and preferences really dictate what we choose. There’s another concern here and that’s storage. Food can
“STUDIES SHOW US THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON SHOULD BE TAKING ON A MINIMUM OF 2 LITRES OF WATER A DAY. THAT INCLUDES THE LIQUID IN OUR FOODS. THE US MILITARY RECOMMENDS 4 US GALLONS OF WATER A DAY FOR CONSUMPTION, THAT’S 15.2 LITRES OF WATER A DAY, SEVEN TIMES MORE THAN A CIVILIAN!”
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JANUARY 2022
