Staying Hydrated during Extended Workouts
by Melinda Burris Willms
In last month’s issue, we featured an article dedicated to avoiding dehydration while training and competing in the hot summer weather. As demonstrated through investigative studies, it was shown that water is your best source of replenishment when doing a basic workout for up to an hour. Despite frequent commercial advertising that might make you automatically turn to sports drinks that are heavy on carbohydrates and often loaded with sugars, experts maintain that for workouts lasting an hour or less, water will effectively rehydrate the body, giving it the ability to naturally repair itself and regenerate the essential elements lost through sweating. But what about those particularly grueling training sessions that last for more than hour? This article discusses a number of healthy and efficient ways to stay hydrated during those extended workouts.
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Got Milk?
Ben Desbrow is a distinguished dietician, specializing in sports and clinical nutrition as an associate professor at Australia’s Griffith University. Desbrow’s work has earned him unparalleled recognition: he was the first in his field to be honored with the Nestle Fellowship in Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport. Desbrow’s specific area of expertise is investigating the role and effects diet has on exercise function and the ability of humans to perform daily living activities.1
Desbrow’s studies have led him to compare beverages to ascertain which is the best choice to rehydrate and restore the nutrients the body loses when it is engaged in heavy physical exertion for an extended period of time.2 The results of the professor’s research bring new meaning to the well-known slogan, “Milk – It does a Body Good.”3 For Desbrow asserts, “Milk is an ideal recovery beverage . . . It is well retained and is a great source of protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals.”2
To reach this conclusion, Desbrow did a comparison test between numerous types of milk and popular sports drinks, beverages enhanced with electrolytes, to demonstrate which liquid led to the most comprehensive and lasting recovery following strenuous exercise. It should be noted that Desbrow’s scientific inquiry had a dual focus: identifying the replacement beverage that best fulfills the initial need for replenishment of the fluids and essential electrolytes and minerals the body naturally loses through sweating during prolonged, intense exertion and also proves to be the most effectual in aiding the body in retaining the nutritional components being replaced.2 The importance of this last factor is obvious: if you seek to restore the fluids, electrolytes, and minerals your body has become deficient in through strenuous exercise using a form the body cannot retain, your body continues to be depleted of the elements essential to proper body function and good health.
Other research supports the finding that milk is advantageous to workouts in numerous ways. Stuart Phillips, an associate professor at McMaster University’s Department of Kinesiology-Exercise Metabolism Research Group, led a 2007 study comprised of 56 subjects, all young, healthy males who took part in weight-lifting exercises 5 days per week for a period of 12 weeks. The 56 study participants were divided into three groups and given one of the following beverages immediately following cessation of exercise and again 60 minutes later: fat-free milk, a fat-free soy drink, or a carbohydrate-based beverage.4 The researchers meticulously measured participants’ “[m]uscle mass, muscle [fiber] size, strength, and fat mass” before and after each training session.4
The study findings demonstrate a significant advantage for milk drinkers in multiple key areas. Study participants who were given milk to drink post-exercise showed muscle mass gains of 6.2% compared to a 4.4% increase in those who consumed the fat-free soy beverages and an improvement of 3.7% in the carbohydrate-based beverage group. Researchers also observed a propensity for participants in the milk drinking group to attain increased strength, particularly in the leg muscles. Improvements in muscle fiber size paralleled the muscle mass percentages, with the milk drinking group showing significant statistical gains over the other two groups. Finally, a comparison of decrease in fat mass between the three groups at the conclusion of the study yielded the following results: milk drinkers -5.5%, carbohydrate-based beverage consumers -3.4%, and fat-free soy drinkers -1.5%.4 In a country struggling with a growing obesity problem and a public demanding ways to take off the fat, these research results will no doubt be talked about and further investigated for years.
Lactose Intolerant or Just not a Big Milk Drinker?
Despite Desbrow’s praise and the intriguing results of Phillips’ study, milk is not “ideal”4 for everyone. There are many who are allergic to dairy, are lactose intolerant or simply do not like the taste of milk. Desbrow points out that although for many, milk offers an easy all-in-one solution because it contains the nutrients the body needs for proper recovery and retention, alternatives can be found by choosing foods that provide the same combination of protein, vitamins, and minerals. In other words, a healthy snack paired with water or another beverage can accomplish the same rehydration result.5
Choosing Nutritious Snacks for Post-Workout Consumption
When choosing a post-workout snack, it is best to look for foods that offer a healthy balance of protein and carbohydrates. This combination enables your body to properly absorb and retain the fluid you are taking in, ensuring rehydration.2
- A protein shake (add a banana or a cup of leafy greens – spinach, kale, etc.).5
- 2 scrambled eggs with your choice of onions, peppers or mushrooms. You can up the carbohydrate/protein quotient by having the eggs in a whole-wheat pita pocket.5
- A granola bar is always a fast and easy on-the-go choice.2
- Greek yogurt and a banana.
As you can see, there are many options and lots of possible combinations, find a few you like and stick with it! You’re working hard to get or stay in optimal shape; don’t neglect to give back what your body puts out if you expect it to be able to perform for you when you need it most!
References
1.Griffith University. (n.d.). Associate Professor Ben Desbrow.
2.Hollman, J. (2019). The Best Drink for Staying Hydrated (Hint: It’s NOT Water or Gatorade).
3.Best Old Commercials. (2016). Milk – It does a Body Good.
4.Phillips, S.M. (2007). Effects of Drinking Milk Following Exercise.
5.Abbot. (2018, Oct. 11). 5 Post-Workout Snacks for Muscle Building and Energy.
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