All this while, we have been told to hydrate ourselves during and after our workouts, but did you know that just water isn’t enough? Read on to find out why you need carbohydrate supplements.
Hello Summertime! With summer approaching, the heat is awaiting us! This means, more sweat, more electrolyte depletion, and you guessed it, exhaustion during workouts!
How do you properly fuel and hydrate your workouts to combat this exhaustion you ask? Well, we have the answers here at Ten Performance.
First, I want to dive into carbs – the proper name being carbohydrates. When we breakdown the word itself into two simple ones, you realize that you have carbs and then hydrates… KEY TERM… HELLO, HYDRATE! Hydration = water. When you limit or cut carbohydrates out of your diet and you cut a key nutrient that helps retain water and keep you moving. Let’s dip our toes into the science specifics.
The science behind carbohydrates
Carbohydrates play a key role in how your body functions. One of the main roles is providing your body with the fuel it needs to properly perform your workouts such as CrossFit, weightlifting, running, cycling, boxing, or any exercise you choose to partake in. What is this energy you ask? It is glycogen! Glycogen is how the body processes and stores glucose as energy. After a workout, your body needs to be replenished of the glycogen stores (carbs) and with every glycogen, there are 3 water molecules attached in a 3:1 ratio. So, when your muscles are in recovery, they are three times as “hungry” for water as they are for glycogen. Are we seeing now how carbs can be a good and great thing for these summer training sessions yet?
Depletion of fluids & carbohydrates during exercise
The negative effects of depleting your body of carbs come from the idea that as your body uses these carbohydrates as energy and then taps into the glycogen stores, the water attached to glycogen flushes away as well. Thus, a low carbohydrate diet basically depletes the body’s ability to retain fluid during exercise and results in high stakes of dehydration. Did you know that you eat ~20% of your fluid intake per day? You eat your fluids by eating foods that contain a large amount of water such as watermelon but mostly it is from eating carbohydrates. Yep, eating carbs since when you eat those carboHYDRATES you’re helping your body retain that proper amount needed to function for daily activities.
Let’s dive into how to detour these negative affects while training. First off, fluid loss can and most likely WILL impair performance during these warmer months and can affect your body’s ability to control its own temperature. If you are exercising for less than 60 minutes, you should drink approximately 200 mL of fluid every 15-20 minutes. Water is appropriate in this situation. In longer duration activities, where there is a risk of glycogen depletion, such as more than 60 minutes of vigorous exercise, a drink containing glucose and electrolytes can be most effective. But the big question that you are dying to ask is – What is the best thing for me to drink before or during my workout to help me perform to the best of my abilities???
The secret sauce for OPTIMAL performance & hydration
If you decide to try using carbohydrate supplements during a workout—and I think you should- I am not suggesting you bring a bowl of pasta to the gym or nibble on a bagel throughout your training. During a workout, you actually want liquid carbohydrates so that digestion is easy and not interfering with your performance.
What better way to get your carbs in intra-workout than Ten Performance’s Pro/Carb! Pro/Carb is a carbohydrate supplement derived from the purest carbohydrates on the planet. It is absorbed as a simple carbohydrate but with the endurance of a complex carbohydrate. Pro/Carb’s carbohydrate foundation is derived from the roots of Tapioca, Sweet Potato, and Arrowroot and contains Citrulline Malate/ Arginine. Be prepared for the most intense workouts of your life with less dehydration and glycogen/energy depletion with this liquid carbohydrate! Grab a bag and carboHYDRATE up!