I've searched and have seen so many different products without seeing anything definitive. What are you using?

HEED!


AND


PERPETUEM!

Water. Its all ya really need to keep hydrated.

Calories and other nutrients come from foods I eat. Try to keep a balanced diet, keep the junk food to a minimum, and I seem to do all right. I'm really leery of all that nutritional pseudo-sceince and 'expert' testimony that presented in the media. Sure, Lance Armstrong my be a pro athelte at the top of his sport, but would it really make that much difference in his level of fitness (aerobic level, ability to sustain a high level ofoutput) if he didn't use and supplements (if he does use the ones he's a spokesman for?)?

phydeux wrote:Water. Its all ya really need to keep hydrated.

Calories and other nutrients come from foods I eat. Try to keep a balanced diet, keep the junk food to a minimum, and I seem to do all right. I'm really leery of all that nutritional pseudo-sceince and 'expert' testimony that presented in the media. Sure, Lance Armstrong my be a pro athelte at the top of his sport, but would it really make that much difference in his level of fitness (aerobic level, ability to sustain a high level ofoutput) if he didn't use and supplements (if he does use the ones he's a spokesman for?)?

I looked at FRS but I'm not sold. As far as hydration goes, yes water. But I'm not a big food guy, until dinner. I want something that has that nourishment and energy while on the trail.

Thanks Chief!

I always take a Naked protein shake, they taste good, pretty small, filling, lots of protein and carbs.

You could try making some of your own concoction. Then you could put as much of whatever flavor or nutrient you thought you needed most. Kind of like a smoothie but take away the milk and use orange juice or carrot juice or something. It wouldn't keep as long as prepackaged stuff though. I've never done it for a trail but you can make some pretty good things with a blender.

I found this helpful for my running. I often have a shortened recovery time between runs. Using the three I use has been a game changer for me.

Though I use them now for everything.

I use the Cytomax before a run as well as Gatorade. The Gatorade tastes better.

But after a long run, there's nothing like EnduroxR4, and one look at the Ingredient list will tell you why.

Still, you should play with them and find out which one has you feeling better nearly instantly. Your body depletes certain minerals and it takes a while to replentish from ordinary food.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6677&PageNum=3

There is only one real energy drink. POWERTHIRST. It makes me good at sports!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs

AHHHHHHHHH!

"Best" depends on what you're doing I suppose. The only time I use any kind of "supplement" is when I take powdered Gatorade or Poweraid or whatever into the hills. A bit of a sugar hit and an electrolyte boost without having to carry weight is what I like. On easy walk-ins a nice sweet cuppa tea is enough.

I use water and either Gu or Clif Bars during my long runs. For recovery I use Gatorade mixed at 50% of the recommended dose plus a scoop of protein supplement. Otherwise, I get it in what i eat.

I drink mate/green hot tea blend in the morning and carry one bottle of water with H20 and the other filled with this
http://www.sportea.com/sportea_key_ingredients.htm

Thanks!!

phydeux wrote:Water. Its all ya really need to keep hydrated.

Well, no. You would need electrolytes too.

I recommend doing some experiments: Go out with water but no food, and see how long it takes you to bonk and how it feels. Then go out with water and 250-300 cal/hr of sweet food (e.g. fig newtons or pop tarts), and see how an electrolyte crash feels. Once you can identify these, figure out a mixture of carbs and electrolytes that you can digest in sufficient quantities at your target intensity. This may include energy drinks, gels, salt pills, bars, or more normal food.

In my experience, I can handle gels even at high intensity, so energy drinks aren't necessary. Heed is cool because, relying on complex carbs (maltodextrin IIRC), it doesn't taste sickly sweet. On the other hand, Gatorade powder and fig bars are cheap, and will probably work just fine.

Water.