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Does anyone have any recomendations on electrolyte drinks or drink mixes that you have found effective for level or phase testing?? Thanks in advance 😀
I’ve used diluted gatorade (I do half water half gatorade) and those gel shot thingies. They don’t taste good. But it’s a quick way to get fuel without drinking too much fluid or eating.
Interesting. I was planning on just bringing a lot of Gatorade to the L2 test next week. What is the purpose of diluting it?
I’ve heard that gatorade taken in excess can mimmick the effects of diabetes in some people. Don’t know, just heard that somewhere. ❓
The second-in-command guy at my studio was in the NFL for like ten years, and has done martial arts for a long time, and somewhat recently started a sports nutrition product line. Anyway, he wrote an article about why many of the sports drinks are diluted by athletes. The gist of it is this- most of these companies are out to get money- and you get more money if you sell a drink to everyone, not just athletes. So, they taste good, but they are loaded with sugar. This makes the water concentration lower, and the liquid harder to absorb. This has to do with a concept of \”osmolality\”. Water osmolality is like the standard. You want it as close to that as possible for absorption by the body. But you still want to regain electrolytes (salts) and energy (sugars). So, diluting Gatorade is a pretty good way of doing this. And it makes the water taste pretty good.
Generally, though, I think people understimate water and put sports drinks on a pedestal.I think that mixing gatorade with water and then taking those energy gels (which are like concentrated sugar and caffeine- I like the tase of them myself) is kind of self defeating in this respect, but I could be wrong.
I use electrolytes only when I work out for more than 1 hour. Otherwise, I stick to water and, in some cases, flavored water.
Same for me, except I don’t use them unless I’m working out for at least 2 hours. The point of using the gel shots is that after your 3rd or 4th hour, whatever calories are in the diluted gatorade just aren’t enough to keep you going. I don’t like drinking too much fluid if I have another hour or more to go, because it makes me cramp up. Also I can’t eat anything solid because I will get sick. So that’s where the gel shots come in handy. The reason they’re good is because of the high amount of calories in a form that’s easily digestible.
I like to dilute the gatorade for reasons pointed out by CLFMak. But also, because of the taste. I can’t really drink gatorade without diluting it, it tastes too sugary to me and makes me want to choke.
I find that getting hydrated with plain old water 24 hours before a prolonged workout (I’m talking 4+ hours) is the key to lasting. Then during the workout you’re just replenishing what you lost, not drinking so much that you get bloated.
Gookinaid works for me…IMHO I think it’s a lot better than Gatoraide…you can mix it to whatever strength you want.
Here’s a link:
I’m a heavy sweater, so when I went through phase, I used Gatorade at full strength. At points I would still cramp up, so then I would add a packet of GatorLyte to the mix. It works wonders. Don’t know how to get it other than from my personal trainer source, though.
I don’t really use gatoraide anymore. But, when I did, I diluted it with water also – about 1/2 to 1/2. I never thought about the calorie and sugar aspect. I just don’t care for the taste of gatoraide, that’s why I diluted it with water.
I use Propel now. I like the taste better that gatoraide. Has anyone else tried it? I would be interested on some other opinions on it. If I don’t have Propel, I just drink water.
I love propel, but I have never used it for my krav workouts, I just drink regular water for that. The propel I drink with a meal or throughout the day (i’m not much of a water drinker, unless I’m working up a sweat). However, watch out for calories and sugar content. I read somewhere (I think it does) that propel (just because it’s flavored water) has a lot of calories and sugar. Anyone else know?
Isn’t gookinade called Hydralite now?
Now that you mention it, that stuff is a really good rehydration formula, and you can buy it for cheaper than liquid gatorade. Its less sugary also. Downside- it tastes like what its replacing (so you know its working!)Thanks for all the great info! I think I will try the Gookinaide Hydralyte. Has anyone ever seen in available in a store???
I wonder if all of those energy drinks aren’t overrated. Maybe they just provide some type of placebo effect. For me, some ice cold water will do and I usually carry some pieces of fruit if it’s going to be a long day. Sometimes I have an energy bar with me, more out of convenience, because you can eat it quickly.
If you are getting ready for a test, just make sure you are generally well-conditioned. And maybe don’t work out for a couple of days before the test. That way you’ll have a lot of extra energy stored up, ready to use for the big day. That might make more of a difference than the difference in energy you are going to get from drinking just plain water vs drinking Gatorade.
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