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I read a couple of articles this past week that highlighted the controversies of a person trying to begin a fitness program. Looking back at the practices of yesteryear and comparing them with many of today’s programs you wonder how anybody ever succeeded in getting fit. The most common trend of thought was, “You teach the way you were taught”. The same went for coaching practices. You probably coached the same way you were coached. Allan Besselink in his book ‘Run Smart’ writes “The inability to challenge our belief systems in the face of good scientific evidence is the primary limiting factor in the advancement of both health care and coaching as well as human performance and injury prevention.” Early advice was do not drink cold water – or any water in some cases – because it will give you stomach cramps. When I was with the NHL hockey preseason training camps the players weighed in before and after practice. The coaches responsible for the weigh-ins were former hockey players from several years ago. Their comments were, “When we finished practice we lost 8-12 pounds every day.” The players they were weighing were only losing 3-4 pounds. The difference was in the “old” days the players did not drink during practice. New research showed players that they can perform better if they stay hydrated during practice. The modern players were drinking water every 10-15 minutes to replace the sweat lost during skating.
Years ago I read a report that ice cold water was better for you as it was absorbed by the body faster. You could not drink as much water because of the cold temperature, but you would drink it more frequently. This week I read a report from a medical doctor that you should not drink ice cold water. You wonder who was right when you want to start an exercise program.
When energy drinks made an appearance with the invention of Gatorade it was the latest and greatest thing to drink for improving performance. For some sports it seemed to be a real benefit for the athletes. Marathon runners found out that the heavy sugar content did not set well on a long run when they were dehydrated. The stomach could not absorb the concentrated mixture and did not help get energy to the muscles. Marathon runners found that if the drink was diluted it was better absorbed by the body and performance was benefited.
The recent drink is electrolyte drinks. You can drink the mixture, or place a thin electrolyte wafer on the tongue and help balance the body’s energy systems. An article I read this week was in Nutrition Action newsletter and the subtitle was "Caffeine 101." It mentions that caffeine has the ability to block adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a natural sedative and when caffeine blocks the effect the person does not feel drowsy. The article went on to state the effects of caffeine on exercise performance. Researchers found that a person will run farther if they have had caffeine than if they did not. The researchers found that a dose of 200-400 milligrams of caffeine for a 150-pound athlete an hour before exercise demonstrated about a 12% farther run. The researchers did mention that more is not necessarily better and will not boost performance and can cause side effects. One study in Australia had 12 men who exercised less than one hour per week were given either a placebo or a caffeine drink while they pedaled on an exercise bike. On the days the men drank the caffeine drink the men burned 5%more calories, pedaled 5% harder, and pushed their heart rate 5% higher, all without feeling like they were working harder.
For me, the article made a lot of sense. On long bike rides, my drinking container was filled with sweet ice tea. Between the caffeine in the tea and a few teaspoons of sugar I was ready to go. Some of my riding partners were sold on the electrolyte drinks and chewed wafers during the ride. The only thought I had was how did that electrolyte drink taste, and the same for that wafer on their tongue, versus some good old sweet Texas ice tea. After reading the article I was glad I chose the sweet iced tea. For runners, just remember the time before the race when you drink as tea is a diuretic. Don’t miss the race start.
