I am Tiger Woods...the Gatorade Experiment

Prime, Perform, Recovery

(cue the music)

I don't generally believe that I am a sucker for advertisement. I see through most marketing gimmicks and tend to go against the grain most often. However, Gatorade's newest product line intrigued me a bit.

I am not really a fan of gatorade. I don't use it in training unless I need to stop by the store. I will occasionally purchase one when I want a non-caffeinated drink in place of water. I think it has too much sugar and up until recently contained high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The new formula moves to a sucrose-dextrose blend, which is a step in the right direction.

The new line moves gatorade from just a sports drink to a line of drinks for the pre-workout, workout and post workout. Essentially it falls in line with how many endurance athletes train. While at my neighborhood Kroger, they had a huge display with each of the products so I made the purchases. I thought it would be fun to workout this weekend with gatorade fueling me.

Gatorade 01--This is the 'prime' or pre-workout supplement. It came in a 4 oz package that resembled an oversized gel packet. I was expecting a more gelatin substances so the liquid shocked me a bit. Of the three, I found the taste the sweetest. I was having flashbacks to eating an icee during the summer. Nutritional content: 100 calories, B vitamins, 110 mg of sodium, 35 mg of potassium, 25g of carbs, 23g of sugar, 0g of protein.

Gatorade 02--This is the revision of their traditional formula. I put 20 oz in a water bottle and rolled. The taste was slightly more bland than the traditional formula. I assume this is the absence of the HFCS. Nutritional content (20 oz): 150 calories, 280 mg of sodium, 75 mg of potassium, 35g of carbs, 35g of sugar, 0g of protein.

Gatorade 03--This is the recovery product. It comes in a 16oz bottle. I think I was probably the most excited about this one. Aside from chocolate milk, there aren't many recovery products on the market that I can grab on the go. This often leads to improper recovery. Of the three products, the taste was the mildest. Nutritional content: 130 calories, 250 mg of sodium, 95 mg of potassium, 14g of carbs, 12g of sugar, 16g of protein.

Thoughts? Well I didn't turn into a superstar on the ride. I didn't suddenly surpass my FTP. I didn't grow super muscles and stop cars in my way. So to that end, I guess the experiment was a fail.

I rode for 2 hours or 41 miles. Temperature was steadily climbing into the 80s and probably the warmest ride this year. Overall I was pleased with the products. I didn't have any issues. My stomach didn't cramp. I felt hydrated.

I do have a few concerns. First, it is still a lot of sugar. 380 calories and 70g of sugar seems a bit high to me. I do like that the recovery drink was lower on sugar. Clearly the focus is on potassium and sodium, the electrolytes. Typically I am a zombie after a ride. I wasn't groggy at all when I got home. My assumption is that I got more electrolytes than normal.

In my opinion, gatorade still fails in the calorie department. Essentially, the company is in a catch-22. So many people supplement their everyday fluids with sports drinks as a 'healthy' alternative. Therefore, gatorade has to keep the calories low otherwise people would gain weight. But as a triathlete, that doesn't work. For a ride like that, my body needs close to 600 calories. That is a lot of calories that gatorade can't provide

Overall, I do think gatorade is onto something and will likely have a successful product. I do think the 01 = formula could be at risk. I just don't know how many people really 'prime' before workouts. The 02 formula is basically their staple so that isn't going anywhere. I think the 03 formula has tons of potential. I think it is marketed right for athletes...those who fall prey to advertising.

If you are a fan of gatorade, I would encourage you to check it out. If you aren't a fan, the products aren't convincing enough to make the switch.

Nutrition and Body Experiment 1

As the quote says at the top of my blog, I like to test, tweak and alter my body in different ways. I recently discussed tracking my body weight and fat. I have also in the past discussed the different 'diet' methods employed to achieve maximization. Of course, I facetiously use the word diet because my first few experiments included ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate syrup. At least I enjoyed it.

This year, I am letting my body be Jessica's guinea pig as she explores different nutritional theories that impact the body...particularly endurance athletes. The idea is that each month, I will try something new with my diet. I will monitor how I am feeling mentally and physically. Ideally, I will see improvements but they may come in the subtle form of minor body composition adjustments, reduction in inflammation and fatigue or sleeping better at night. I enter each new challenge with a bit of skepticism and fear about what the changes might mean for my body and training.

Experiment #1: Increase the level of magnesium in my body.

From a NYT Health article:

• Magnesium is readily available in foods that form the basis of a healthful diet -- whole grains, fruits, dark-green leafy vegetables and nuts. But the highly processed foods that most Americans live on are sorely lacking in the mineral. The latest national studies found that as many as three-fourths of Americans do not consume enough to avoid the adverse effects associated with chronic magnesium deficiency.
  

From NIH

• Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis

From Jessica

• Magnesium levels are related to levels of a hormone called adiponectin. As magnesium goes up, so adiponectin goes up. This is important because adiponectin has an INVERSE relationship to body fat: as adiponectin goes UP, body fat levels go DOWN. This is also why an optimal magnesium level in the body reduces the risk of Metabolic Disorder and Type 2 Diabetes. Magnesium is also helps with stress, relaxes muscles, helps with sleep and restless legs, reduces blood pressure, and is necessary to carry out the metabolic functions of cells.

I started this process four weeks ago. I began using a product called Natural Calm. It is a flavored powder that dissolves in hot water. I began with just 1/2 teaspoon a day and worked my way up to 1.5 teaspoons.

I can't say that I have seen any significant improvement. My biggest complaint is that it changed the way my body processes food and made me a bit irregular. I have not experienced a weight or body fat loss. Those figures are still holding steady. I can't say for certain that I am less sore as there are too many variables in that equation. I will say that I am a bit more focused than normal. I suspect that despite the adjustment to my schedule, I am slightly more energetic as a result. I am definitely sleeping well right now but that may be related to going to bed earlier and focusing on recovery.

In the end, I don't know that I experienced an significant benefits from taking the extra magnesium. With ING this week, I am discontinuing my dosage so that I don't suffer from any GI issues Sunday. At this point, I don't know if I will go back onto the Mg. Of course, that might all change if I start feeling the subtle signs of fatigue, etc.

I am more excited about my next challenge...I get to eat a lot!!!