Monday, June 07, 2010

Belly up to the Bar and DRINK up!!!

No, I am not talking about your local tavern, pub or bar... I am talking about the hydration tent at any pit stop, grab n' go, lunch or camp!

Yes, you need to drink! I think they covered that pretty well at the Getting Started Meetings or any Training Walk you may have attended. But let’s break this down. You walk, you sweat (yes, women sweat!), you lose fluids, you need to replace them. Plain and simple.

Water and Gatorade are a must for every 3-Day walker and crew member! You should be drinking a bottle of water
and a bottle of Gatorade every two to three miles when walking or for every hour of cardiovascular activity. The water keeps your muscles from cramping and the Gatorade helps keep your electrolytes in balance. With this balance, your 3-Day will be a great experience.










I have heard lots of comments about Gatorade… I don’t like the flavor, it tastes funny, too many calories. Let me address these. 1. Flavor – there are several BASIC flavors on the 3-Day. Nothing fancy…red, orange, yellow, blue. Like I said basic! 2. Taste – same thing. Basics here too! 3. Calories – listen, yes, it has calories BUT you are burning TONS of calories on this event. Your body needs sodium, potassium and chloride that are essential for hydration and muscle function.

I have also been experimenting with Gatorade's new G-series. The G-series is a 3 part system - G1 is PRIME, it's a Carb and B Vitamin boost - G2 is the Gatorade we know and love, and G3 is RECOVER. The G1 is like a sugar burst... It gotta me ready to walk, but I used it before I left so it was about 45 minutes before we actually walked. About 1/2 walk through the 4 mile walk, my boost was gone! The G2 - I still love... Gatorade has saved my butt on event several times... look back in my blog to 2006 San Diego! ;) But the best part is G3 - RECOVER! I have used other recovery drinks in the past but to have one that is part of the Gatorade family is great! These drink is consumed after exercise and helps replenish your body with protein and electrolytes. It really helps to replace all the vitamins and minerals you lose especially after a LONG day of training or event walking! I have used these before and swear by them. Now would be a good time to try them and see if they work for you. On Event is not the time to be experimenting with your nutrition and hydration!

So start drinking up! A hydrated body is a happy body. As fabulous as the medical team is, you don’t want to have to meet them on event, unless it’s as you cross the finish line and they are cheering you on! Remember, Drink + Pee = No IV.


Walk and talk with you soon.
Amy :)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

As someone that can't have most (I avoid all just to be safe) artificial sweeteners, I find that classic Gatorade is the only thing that I can drink, if I'm going to drink sports drinks.
That is a qualified statement, as I've discovered that outdoor stores like REI sell elecrolytes in a tablet. No sweeteners, no preservatives, and no unnecessary calories (not that I care that much, but it is nice).

The brand that I carry with me and swear by is Endurolytes. Pop one gelcap for every hour of walking. On days where it's cooler and I don't sweat as much, I cut that back to one every two hours. My fingers will swell up if I take too many, so just be aware of your input and output, just like always!

Unknown said...

Are they still putting high fructose corn syrup in regular gatorade? I avoid that & all artificial sweeteners.. will have to do some serious label reading.