MultiSport Training and Racing

In most health and fitness articles on major news sites, the author usually gives some generic advice, getting it wrong half the time when it comes to practicality.

Along those same lines, most articles bash sports drinks and energy bars for having too many calories or for containing carbs (which happen to be essential energy, for doctors who don’t get it.)

Luckily I was able to read a real article about sports drinks and hydration at MSN.com, which does a decent job getting good content.

Two main points, right on the money:

- Low intensity exercise under 1 hour, just stick with water to stay hydrated. That’s all you need.

- For high intensity exercise like serious running and cycling, get a real sports drink with carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Although he goes a little overboard with this guideline:

“During exercise: Drink 7 to 10 oz of water or sports drink every 15 minutes while engaged in the activity.”

Holy crap, that’s 40 ounces per hour! Two water bottles full!

And then he mentions water intoxication and hyponatremia. Well duh, if you consume 40 oz water every hour, you better believe it! (Not to mention pee breaks!)

I’d say more like 4-8 ounces of sports drink (such as Gatorade Rain) every fifteen minutes, depending on the weather. 4 ounces of sports drink every 15 minutes, or 16 oz per hour, should be plenty in most circumstances.

32oz in one hour on a 120 degree day, perhaps.