Endurance sport: Hydratis review, electrolyte solution to maintain energy
Whether you are a beginner or a confirmed athlete in cycling, marathon, trail or even triathlon, you have probably already found yourself in your physical and mental entrenchments.
Endurance sports refer to surpassing oneself because the body must maintain a high intensity effort over a long period of time. Added to this mindset is the desire to establish performances and beat personal records. It is therefore in the interest of the endurance athlete not to neglect any aspect of his preparation, his race and his recovery, which implies the optimization of his hydration and his energy intake.
In this article, we talk about the importance of hydration level on performance and recovery as well as the best energy drinks to cope with exertion.
During physical exertion, the body contracts its muscles in order to produce movement. This contraction produces heat which results from the transformation of chemical energy into mechanical energy. The body heats up and thermogenesis takes place. To keep its body temperature at 37 degrees, the body engages cooling mechanisms to lower the temperature. Perspiration is the main actor, and explains part of the water and electrolyte losses.
The athlete is therefore continually losing water and minerals during exercise. His water needs are therefore permanent and can increase depending on the duration of the effort, its intensity, the ambient temperature, the humidity and his level of hydration at the start of the effort.
Thus, the athlete loses on average between 1L and 1.5L of water per hour, but depending on the elements mentioned above, this loss can go up to 3L of water per hour. For example, if a 75 kg person loses 1.5L of water, this is equivalent to 2% of their body weight. A water loss of 2% is enough to have a negative impact on performance. In addition, the feeling of thirst is triggered precisely when water loss is around 2% . It is therefore essential to anticipate this dehydration* with a quality and suitable exercise drink in order to avoid episodes of fatigue. Athletes looking to break their records cannot rely on their feeling of thirst because they are already dehydrated when they feel it.
*Dehydration is due to an imbalance of water and minerals
Water, in addition to being the main constituent of the body, plays a crucial role in the vast majority of biological functions. The lack of water impacts the proper functioning of the body, resulting in a drop in performance. Indeed, a dehydrated athlete will see an increase in their reaction time as well as their feeling of effort, which will seem more intense and therefore more difficult.
The benefit of rehydration does not stop at performance and during exercise.
It is very important to restore the fluid level after exercise in order to maximize recovery. After exercise, the body absorbs everything it has lost like a sponge, which is why rehydration within an hour of exercise is essential. In particular, it will help maintain blood volume and therefore the oxygenation of muscle fibers, which will reduce cramps and aches. However, water is not the only component lost during the session, since dehydration is accompanied by an electrolyte loss (sodium, potassium, chlorine, etc.) that must also be compensated.
During training, the body has also lost energy reserves such as carbohydrates, used in muscle contraction. For optimal recovery, it is therefore necessary to replenish the stock of water, electrolytes and carbohydrates. The interest of the energy drink is that it makes it possible to compensate for these three losses at the same time. Indeed it contains both water, electrolytes and carbohydrates. It is therefore perfectly suited to long-term efforts such as endurance sports to maintain the body's water and energy levels while compensating for electrolyte losses. But the benefit of exercise drinks goes beyond a simple compensation for losses since the alloy of electrolytes, carbohydrates and water, depending on their composition, play with the osmolarity of blood plasma which maximizes water and/or carbohydrate absorption.
What are the different types of energy drinks?
Two types of energy drinks may suit your needs for your long-term outings: The isotonic drink , which has an osmolarity identical to blood plasma, allows better assimilation of water and electrolytes while ensuring a carbohydrate intake. The quality of the minerals in the drink are key because their bioassimilation will play an important role in metabolism.
The hypotonic drink has a lower osmolarity than blood plasma, it leads to the stimulation of hydration but slows down the absorption of nutrients. The choice of the type of energy drink must be made according to the environmental conditions under which the effort is made. Indeed, if the latter is practiced in hot weather, hydration is of paramount importance because water losses can exceed 3L per hour, it will then be more judicious to opt for a hypotonic drink which will promote hydration. and the absorption of electrolytes to that of carbohydrates. If the outside temperature is more bearable, dehydration being less, the most suitable drink will be the isotonic one.
The Hydratis solution is ideal for athletes who can design their own energy drink:
Thanks to pellets enriched with mineral salts (sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, manganese) and a source of energy thanks to their carbohydrate content (sucrose), you have the possibility of creating an exercise drink adapted to your needs. To do this, you just need to mix:
1 pellet in 500 ml of water to obtain a hypotonic drink.
2 lozenges in 500 ml of water to obtain an isotonic drink.
Find the Hydratis review of Run, Fit & Run
Compared to salt tablets which would only make up for the loss of electrolytes which would only make up for the water losses, Hydratis is a real revolution for lovers of endurance sports. You have at your disposal pellets whose composition has been designed to accelerate the absorption of water molecules by your body.
It works more effectively to maintain your hydration. Its richness in electrolytes is an additional asset to restore electrolyte losses and allow your body to better overcome the effort. Hydratis therefore represents the best ally for maintaining your hydration, the benefits of which do not stop at maintaining your performance. Consuming your Hydratis exercise drink after the race will also promote your recovery: less fatigue, less body aches and less cramps. Thanks to pellets contained in hermetic tubes, transportable everywhere, you have the freedom to make the energy drink most adapted to the conditions of your race.
