Day 3 of Helpful Tips! This is a great article written by co-owner of SPIN! Dr. Richard Lozoff! You can get these products at Bikesource, stock up before Saturday! Be Prepared! GO!
It’s hot and we’re sweating out there. Drinking plenty of fluids, mostly water is what we all do. And that’s so very important, because if you dehydrate, not only does performance suffer, but you can also get really sick as well. We need to drink as we ride, and not wait until we’re thirsty. However, consider this. You can drink too much water, and if you don’t replace your electrolytes and complex carbohydrates (whole grains, nuts, fruits veggies, seeds), bad things can happen.
As far as drinking water/fluids, you should be consuming about 24 oz. per hour while riding, which is about one large water bottle. But you should fortify your water bottle with an electrolyte powder to keep you balanced. If you only drink water and you’re sweating profusely, what happens is that you dilute your body, and can easily become hyponatremic (low sodium) which can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, light-headedness, and nausea and even coma. Additionally we’re losing potassium, and trace elements like manganese and tyrosine, while our bodies are burning up a lot of calcium and magnesium.
If you replace what you’re depleting with only water and simple sugars (anything with an –ose like glucose, sucrose, fructose) and not the rest of what necessary, it’s unhealthy. If you do an extended rides or workout, then protein replacement is also necessary.
The bottom line is that I recommend using an electrolyte powder in your water bottle, as well as taking an electrolyte caps when really sweating. For energy the supplements that you can carry in your pocket are great.
My personal favorite powder supplement is Ultima Replenisher. It has almost no sugar or calories, but lots of good electrolytes supplements. There is also a product called HEED, which you can get from www.hammernutrition.com and they also sell Endurolytes, which are electrolytes caps. My favorite gel is Accel Gel because it has a good amount of sodium/potassium, but also some protein in it. Cliff Shot Blocks are gummy cubes that are tasty, easy to carry and give you instant energy.
After your ride or workout, it’s important to consume protein and complex carbohydrates, which is why we eat at SPIN!
-Richard Lozoff, MD
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