Latest / Find Your Edge: Training, Nutrition + Longevity for Endurance Athletes / Stop Chasing Products: Build a Fueling and Hydration System That Works Ep 146
Transcript
- 0:37Hey friends, and welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast.
- 0:40It is getting warmer outside, and that means that we're going to be getting lots of new questions relating to fueling and hydration.
- 0:49More people are experiencing things like cramping or GI distress, or they head out to their local event and they're finding, oh no, that was terrible.
- 0:59I bonked or I felt terrible, and it's got to be something related to my nutrition.
- 1:05So I'm glad you're here because I encourage you to think a little differently.
- 1:11A common theme that we see is that so many people come into us and they are chasing products instead of actually building a system.
- 1:24So athletes think that the answer is finding the perfect gel, the perfect drink mix, the perfect electrolyte, or the supplement.
- 1:31So they ask questions like, what's the right gel to use?
- 1:35What's the best electrolyte?
- 1:36What's the best sports drink?
- 1:38But that is the wrong question.
- 1:40The better question to be asking is, what does my body actually need?
- 1:46Because the best product or products for one athlete can be the complete wrong answer for another.
- 1:54This is one of the reasons why we have compiled so many different products on the market.
- 2:00We're at well over 200 right now.
- 2:03And everything from gels, drink mixes, electrolyte mixes, real food products, water, individual ingredients, the whole nine yards to help people to create the system that works best for their body.
- 2:21That doesn't mean that one product is necessarily superior.
- 2:24There are better options for where some folks are at.
- 2:28So, for example, if someone is not a very heavy sweater, but they're very salty, they're going to have a different strategy than somebody who is a heavy sweater but is not salty.
- 2:40There can also be some nuances in terms of what is your ability or logistical opportunities to be able to carry certain things.
- 2:50So if you're cycling, say in an Iron Man, versus if you're running in a marathon where you can't carry a whole lot of things, those options are going to be different.
- 3:01So there are different strategies that align with what you need that are not necessarily focused on one product, but it's a system that we create together.
- 3:14And all of that comes by knowing your sweat profile.
- 3:19So that comes first.
- 3:20So before even choosing products, which listen, I know that you guys are out there and you're like, but I've tried this product and that product and this product and nothing works.
- 3:28Again, it's not that those things aren't working.
- 3:31We just have to put them together in the right way that suits you the best.
- 3:37So again, before choosing products, you need to understand how much fluid do you use?
- 3:43Know that this number is dynamic.
- 3:45It's dynamic based on how hard you're working.
- 3:50So the intensity and the conditions you're training in and racing in.
- 3:54So us here in North Carolina, although the weather is beautiful right now, you never know.
- 3:58Tomorrow is going to be super humid.
- 4:01And of course, that is gonna give you a different, a slightly different plan than when it's colder outside.
- 4:07So you have to know the intensity, you have to know the conditions you're training and racing with.
- 4:12And then you specifically have to know how much fluid that you're losing.
- 4:17And even more importantly, is how much sodium do you actually lose?
- 4:22That is one of the main electrolytes that is important for muscle function.
- 4:25And if you're not getting enough of that, in conjunction with having the right amount of fluid, again, this is all your sweat profile, that backs us into what you actually need.
- 4:36So this is why sweat testing is so important, and you can't build a hydration strategy without knowing your specific hydration needs.
- 4:44Otherwise, you're just guessing.
- 4:48I have had a few people over the years who guess and get lucky.
- 4:53And I can probably count on one hand the number of people, people that that actually was.
- 4:58It's it's pretty wild.
- 5:00So after you know your sweat profile, next piece is to back into your formula.
- 5:06So again, most athletes are starting with products.
- 5:10We start with actual numbers.
- 5:13So once we know your fluid needs, your sodium needs, and your carb needs, then we fit the products into the plan.
- 5:21It might be something that you buy or it might be something that you make, but totally can work based on what your goal is.
- 5:31But don't do it the other way around.
- 5:34Not finding those products first and then trying to fit them in to your fluid, sodium, and carbonates.
- 5:41This is that key shift that really changes everything.
- 5:46So the other piece that really dials this in, and this is unique to what we offer here, but maybe this is something that you could also work with another dietitian if you're not working with somebody like us.
- 6:00Accountability changes everything.
- 6:04So a lot of athletes are collecting their data and then they never do anything.
- 6:08It's the same reason why you're working with a coach, right?
- 6:11They should be analyzing your data.
- 6:13They should be looking at were you in the right zone, were you at the right intensity, what was your variability index, what was your normalized power, all of those different things your coach should be looking at.
- 6:22It's no different with us as nutrition professionals.
- 6:26Collect the data and then do something with it.
- 6:30Create the plan and then test it out.
- 6:33So this is really where the magic happens.
- 6:36When again, you collect the data, create the plan, test it in training, adjust it, get feedback.
- 6:45And what comes from all of that is total confidence, total trust in the plan that works best for you.
- 6:52Not more information, not another product that some other pro is using.
- 6:59This is all about implementation based on your specific needs.
- 7:03So if you are ready to stop guessing and start being confident in your fueling and hydration plan that works best for your body, that is why we created the fueling and hydration boot camp.
- 7:16Because most endurance athletes don't need more nutrition information.
- 7:19They need a fueling and hydration system that they trust.
- 7:23So this helps you stop guessing, stop chasing products, and actually build a system, trust your plan, and then show up to race day or even training, even if you don't want to raise, just show up to training and feel good, feel confident, feel like you're actually having fun.
- 7:43So enrollment for the fueling and hydration boot camp is now open.
- 7:47So if you're tired of the trial and error of the product chasing and ready to build a system that is personalized to you and your specific needs, head on over to the enduranceedge.com forward slash fueling bootcamp and join us before enrollment closes.
- 8:03So as a little bonus, if you've made it all the way to the end and you come register with us, I'm giving away two free one-on-one sessions.
- 8:14So$100 value that you get for free if you're one of the first two people to use the word podcast in the how did you hear about us when you register.
- 8:25So I look forward to seeing you all there, helping you all build a system, helping you all trust your training plan, help you stop chasing products and actually feel confident in your training and racing fueling and hydration plan so that it match matches all the effort that you're putting into your, all the effort, all the investment that you're putting into actually being a better athlete and hopefully sticking with it for as long as you possibly can.
- 8:54All right.
- 8:54Thank you so much for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast.
- 8:57And I look forward to catching you next time.