Training for a marathon or cycle training - Advice about what to drink

If you are a training regularly and sweating a lot then you need to drink at least as much water as you lose in a session. You can work out how much water is lost in a training session by weighing yourself before and after. If, for example, you drank one liter of water during the training and you still lost one kilogram in weight, that equates to a two liter loss of water during the training with a one liter deficit. So, that means you need to drink one liter of water - and a little more - in the hour or so after exercise.

Rather than have sugary drinks and foods after the training and competition which rot your teeth and gums, predispose you to diabetes and chronic nutrient deficiency, an athlete is better served drinking plain water and consuming food that is rich in protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and carbohydrates - and minerals. My Super Smoothie recipe for example.

It makes no sense at all to drink and eat nutrient poor processed carbohydrate foods and sugary sports drinks that are often extremely acidic and laced with colourings and flavourings. Some sports drinks come with "revitalising B vitamins". But they omit telling you that they have left out the B vitamins that make the drink urine coloured. This is hardly healthy.

I spoke with Dr Les Fisher, the man behind the Active Elements programme. For electrolyte replacement before, during and after exercise, he recommends taking one Active Elements 3.1 tablet before the exercise. During the exercise the athlete can take one or two more depending on the sweating rate and then one or two after. The only fluid needed is good old plain water. If it is in preparation for a really exhausting event like a marathon, or the cycling or triathlon equivalent, then the athlete might commence the Active 3.1 supplementation several times over the day leading up to the event.

Active 3.1 contains the tissue mineral salts most needed during intense exercise and heavy sweating for strong circulation and to prevent or relieve muscle cramping - Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate and Magnesium Phosphate.

During exercise, such as running a marathon or half marathon, the athlete can place the Active 3.1 tablet under the tongue and let it gradually dissolve. This way, some of the salt is absorbed sub lingually (Through the profusion of blood vessels under the tongue), straight into the blood stream.


Do you have a question?
Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.