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Hydration during training?


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Hey all!

I play a pretty intense contact sport, and we practice for 3 hours at a time. Because we're training at a moderate-to-high level pretty consistently for those three hours (and don't have time to stop for snacks), I usually bring some version of a sports drink.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions for hydration to get me through those three hours? Water alone is not enough-- I've tried it and it's Dizzy-City. I believe I can have coconut water, which I'll do if it's my only option, but honestly, I am not a fan of coconut in general and wouldn't mind having less of it in my day.

Thanks!

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I'll look forward to responses from those that are more experienced than I.

To date, I've been pretty resistant to the idea of giving up Hammer Nutrition products while doing long workouts but I think that I'm going to try to make my own "sports gel" from sweet potato and applesauce.

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Hey Jennie,

I have found coconut water to be really helpful for moderate to high intensity style workouts. I live in Houston, TX and summers are HOT and HUMID. Play with different brands until you find one that you like. Be sure to read your labels and there should only be one ingredient: coconut water. It should never be from concentrate. The first couple of coconut water brands I tried....I was not a fan. However, after some extensive taste testing :) I have found that VitaCoco, O.N.E, and Blue Monkey are the most palatable brands.

Try bringing some fruit with you. Orange slices and grapes are good options (soccer mom's got something right haha!)

Sweet Potato baby food is also great, although you might get some really weird looks from your teammates if you knock one of those back during a water break. lol

Also, try playing with adding some pinches of salt to you water (not so much that you can taste it) and squeezing some lemons into your water for electrolytes.

Hope one of these options work. Play around with it and let us know what ends up working for you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Jennie,

Megan's advice is excellent. I'd just add that you could, in fact, just use watered-down fruit juice, too, with a little salt added. The whole point is to supply small amounts of carbohydrate (sugar) and some electrolytes, the most important of which is sodium, with potassium a distant second (which is why coconut water is overmarketed to athletes - it's rich in potassium that's barely relevant for athletes doing stuff for less than a couple hours). Anyway, if you wanted to use fruit juice, I'd water it down with at least a 3:1 ratio (water:juice). Since you're mostly taking sips througout the multi-hour session, any fruit juice would work, but the ones that are more rich in glucose (instead of fructose) like pineapple or mango will likely be better options (so as not to disturb your belly). A bite or two of banana at each break might supply just enough sugar for you, too, without feeling like you've got a full belly. Oh, and on the baby food: Plum Organics makes a pumpkin/banana and a blueberry/pear/purple carrot baby food flavours in squeeze packets that I use for a few carbs when I'm away from home. They're a couple bucks apiece, but they don't require refrigeration and are quite palatable. Just another option. Good luck!

Dallas

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  • 2 months later...

Thanks for the great info!! My 17 yo daughter works on a farm and has been having dehydration issues. Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of was Gatorade, but I knew it wasn't the best long term option! Now I have a list of suggestions for her. I wish she'd drink coconut water, but she's not a fan.

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