Dr Rajat Chauhan

Dr Rajat Chauhan 🦆🩺 🏃‍♂️ • Student - Run & Pain • GOYA - GetOffYourArse • Columnist • Author • La Ultra - The High I like to call myself a student of pain and running.
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I am also a militant advocate of GOYA (Get Off Your Arse) Move-Mint. I have been running for last 36 years and making others to run too. In my spare time I am a doctor specializing in Sports-Exercise Medicine and Osteopathy / Musculo-Skeletal Medicine with special interest in Back and Knee Pain. Yes, have written a book on non-surgical approach to back, knee and neck pains.

23/05/2026

Day 132. The Big Toe Rule

Most runners focus on shoes. Very few focus on the foot itself. 👣

The Windlass Mechanism is one of the most important concepts in running biomechanics. When the big toe bends upward during walking or running, the plantar fascia tightens, the arch rises, and the foot becomes a rigid lever for propulsion.

If the big toe is weak or stiff:
❌ Energy leaks
❌ The arch collapses more easily
❌ Knees and hips compensate more

That’s why simple drills like Toe Yoga matter.

Try this barefoot:
1️⃣ Lift only the big toe
2️⃣ Then lift only the other 4 toes

Simple drill. Powerful information. Sometimes the problem is not the shoe. It is that the foot forgot how to be a foot.

Keep miling and smiling 🙂

22/05/2026

Day 131. Feel dizzy or lightheaded running in heat (Part 9)

When running in heat, feeling dizzy or lightheaded is not random.

In heat:

⬆️ Blood to skin (cooling)
⬇️ Blood to brain
⬇️ Blood volume (sweat loss)

Add shallow breathing → ⬇️ CO₂ → ⬇️ blood flow to brain

Result: Dizziness & Lightheadedness

What to do:

✅ Slow down immediately
✅ Cool the body
✅ Hydrate with electrolytes
✅ Breathe deeper

The body signals before it breaks. So, listen.

Keep miling and smiling.

21/05/2026

Day 130. Why Breathing Matters More in the Heat (Part 8)

In heat, most runners: Pant, i.e. take shallow rapid breaths. This reduces efficiency.

Problem:

❌ Heat increases ventilatory demand → shallow breathing worsens fatigue

❌ Over-breathing, i.e. Hyperventilation reduces CO₂ → negatively affects oxygen delivery to muscles (Bohr effect) → Higher heart rate & More fatigue

Solution:

✅ Slow breathing improves vagal tone (parasympathetic activation)

✅ Diaphragmatic breathing improves ventilation efficiency

✅ Controlled rhythm

Breath = regulation

Use it.

Keep miling and smiling.

20/05/2026

Day 129. Perimenopause, menopause… & running in heat (Part 7)

Hormones affect thermoregulation.

⬇️ Estrogen → ⬇️ heat tolerance
⬆️ Core temperature variability
⬆️ Perceived effort

Common experiences:

👉 Hot flashes
👉 Early fatigue
👉 Higher heart rate

In heat, this matters more.

✅ Adjust expectations
✅ Cool more frequently
✅ Use heart rate as guide
✅ Be flexible with training

Not inconsistency. It’s Physiology.

Keep miling and smiling.

19/05/2026

Day 128: Running in the heat during your period (Part 6)

Hormones affect heat tolerance.

In luteal phase:

👉 ↑ Core temperature
👉 ↓ Cooling efficiency

During menstruation:

👉 ↓ Energy
👉 Fluid shifts
👉 Possible iron loss

In heat, this matters more.

✔ Adjust intensity
✔ Cool more
✔ Hydrate with electrolytes
✔ Listen to your body

You’re not inconsistent. You’re rhythmic.

Keep miling and smiling.

18/05/2026

Day 127. Cooling > Hydration: Running in Heat (Part 5)

Cooling matters more than hydration in heat.

Performance in heat = core temperature control

✔ Start cool (cold fluids)
✔ Drink chilled fluids
✔ Pour water on head, neck, chest
✔ Cool during & after

Cooling ↓ core temp
Improves performance
Prevents heat illness

Myth: avoid cold water ❌
Reality: cold helps cooling ✔

Think cooling. Not just hydration.

Keep miling and smiling

17/05/2026

Day 126. Pace Lies In The Heat (Part 4)

Why heart rate matters more than pace in heat

In hot conditions, heart rate rises even at the same pace. This is ‘Cardiovascular Drift’.

More blood → skin (cooling)
Less blood → muscles

So your heart works harder

✔ Same pace ≠ same effort
✔ Rising HR = warning sign

👉 Slow down when HR climbs

Don’t chase pace. Listen to your body.

Keep miling and smiling

16/05/2026

Day 125. Why Humidity Is More Dangerous (Part 3)

Why 35°C with humidity is worse than 40°C dry heat

It’s not just heat. It’s heat + humidity.

Your body cools by evaporation. Not sweating.

In dry heat → sweat evaporates → you cool

In humidity → sweat drips → cooling fails

Result:

Rising core temperature
Reduced blood to brain & heart
Fatigue + confusion

With adaptation:

↑ Plasma volume
↑ Sweat efficiency
↓ Heart rate

Don’t just check temperature. Check humidity.

Keep miling and smiling.

15/05/2026

Day 124. Heatstroke in Indian Summers (Part 2)

Exertional heatstroke is one of the leading causes of sudden death in sport. But it is also one of the most preventable.

Early signs:
Confusion
Sudden fatigue
Poor decision-making

What to do:
Stop immediately
Cool the body
Hydrate with electrolytes

Avoid peak heat and acclimatise gradually. The body always signals first. Listen.

It’s all good… until it’s not.

Keep miling and smiling.

14/05/2026

Day 123. Hydration Mistakes In Summer - Part 1

“Drink more water” is not always the answer. Overhydration can lead to *’hyponatremia’
(low sodium levels).

As highlighted by Professor Timothy Noakes in ‘Waterlogged’, Drink to thirst.

Also remember: Hydration ≠ just water

You lose ‘electrolytes’ in sweat. So replace both: Water + salts

Simple options: Lemon water, Buttermilk, Salt + water

The body knows. Listen.

Keep miling and smiling.

13/05/2026

Day 122. You Don’t Know Their Story

I thought I knew Michael Jackson. I didn’t.

Childhood pressure. Vitiligo. Severe burns. Almost died. And yet… relentless performance.

We do this every day. We see someone smiling… and assume life is easy.

Everyone is carrying something. Seen. Unseen.

So be kinder - to yourself and others. Move, even when you don’t feel like it. Smile, sometimes for yourself, sometimes for someone else.

Keep miling and smiling.

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Back 2 Fitness, G-6, Triveni Commercial Complex, Sheikh Sarai, Phase 1
Delhi
110017

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+911146560339

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