Best drinks/supplements for cardio

icecold · 14 Jan 2014 at 22:43

Footyslayer said:
Thanks for all the replies...

I purchased a water filter today, It was £10 instore mind.

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webs...sna1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/910000485054

Also regarding the High5 effervescent tablets, I had something similar. They were SIS tablets but the same, I found these really good pre-football.

http://www.scienceinsport.com/sis-products/sis-all-products/sis-go-hydro-20-tablets-single/

I did 3.5 miles earler on the treadmill and 8.5 on an excercise bike. The purified water kept me hydrated well, I was just wondering what would be good for recovery at this point?

If you were thinking that filtered water was particularly hydrating, it isn't. You need electrolytes.

Footyslayer · 14 Jan 2014 at 23:22

icecold said:
If you were thinking that filtered water was particularly hydrating, it isn't. You need electrolytes.

I'm a bit uneducated here as to what electrolytes actually are!

I will likely use the tablets anyway but as I am either at the gym or playing football 5 days out of 7 can you possibly use too many of these in a single week?

icecold · 14 Jan 2014 at 23:55

No

Well, not really.

Electrolytes are just salts that keep your tissues in osmotic balance. If you ate a perfect diet then you might get enough electrolytes for proper hydration, but as soon as you add exercise it becomes very difficult to keep on top of things. You are constantly excreting electrolytes in urine and sweat.

I've read studies that showed a 10% reduction in performance (might have been muscular force output) for 3% dehydration. Hydration also affects thermoregulation and brain function.

Footyslayer · 15 Jan 2014 at 15:28

Right, SIS or High5 tablets each time I work out it is then!

uv · 15 Jan 2014 at 15:51

Footyslayer said:
Right, SIS or High5 tablets each time I work out it is then!

They're really not needed for the amount of work you're doing. Just drink some water from a tap, for free.

icecold · 15 Jan 2014 at 16:54

I'd say it depends on how much you care about it and what your diet is like. If you take your exercise seriously I'd recommend it.

Another good reason: hydration levels effect tissue quality and general snapability. While you may not experience a tear due to dehydration (people who dehydrate for comps probably will at some point), sticky/dysfunctional tissue accumulates.

Electrolyte tablets from somewhere like myprotein are cheap.

nydryl · 15 Jan 2014 at 16:58

I tend to drink SIS and/or High5 tablets for any excercise, and fairly often during the day too. Get around 15-20 litres of juice for a fiver so it works out cheaper than buying soft drinks or flavoured water, and not much more expensive than diluting juice. Keeps you hydrated all the time too, definitely notice the difference from the days where I would sit and drink coffee all day.

#Chri5# · 15 Jan 2014 at 17:01

I don't take any sort of drink when I'm running unless it's going to be an 8 mile or more run (probably 75 minutes or longer).

I do quite like the High 5 or Zym tablets for longer runs and rides, especially if it's the height of summer.

yer_averagejoe · 16 Jan 2014 at 11:35

I just add a couple of pinches of salt to my water bottle for long rides. works a charm.

icecold · 16 Jan 2014 at 14:22

That will work to some extent, but the lack of potassium will limit your drinks efficacy.

duvet77 · 16 Jan 2014 at 14:38

Slightly off topic, but out of interest Icecold, what do you drink when training?

Suarez7 · 16 Jan 2014 at 14:40

His own sweat and tears

Razor-BladE · 16 Jan 2014 at 14:44

High5 tablets are only £3.49 on CRC atm. I picked up 3 different flavour tubes, see if I can notice a difference, as I tend to sweat a lot.

Footyslayer · 16 Jan 2014 at 15:27

Razor-BladE said:
High5 tablets are only £3.49 on CRC atm. I picked up 3 different flavour tubes, see if I can notice a difference, as I tend to sweat a lot.

Thanks for the link, bargain right there!

I'm doing at least 12 miles at the gym at the minute between running and cycling, some weights work thrown in, this will be stepped up over time so these tablets do seem a good option.

fendi · 16 Jan 2014 at 15:51

All this talk of exercising..

What do you actually eat?

Footyslayer · 16 Jan 2014 at 16:00

fendi said:
All this talk of exercising..

What do you actually eat?

Three go ahead crispy slices for breakfast....

A sandwhich or poached egg on toast at about 2:30pm and a dinner at around 6pm.

Dinners normally consist of potatoes/rice, chicken and peas or a jacket potato with cheese and beans etc.

I don't get anywhere near the average 2500 calories a day.

mrthingyx · 16 Jan 2014 at 16:06

Footyslayer said:
Three go ahead crispy slices for breakfast....

A sandwhich or poached egg on toast at about 2:30pm and a dinner at around 6pm.

Dinners normally consist of potatoes/rice, chicken and peas or a jacket potato with cheese and beans etc.

I don't get anywhere near the average 2500 calories a day.

Oh, this isn't good.

Footyslayer · 16 Jan 2014 at 16:13

mrthingyx said:
Oh, this isn't good.

Really?

I don't put weight on, I only put a stone on from November to January as I broke my ribs and couldn't do anything.

I'm not into dieting and I don't see myself as eating unhealthily. Sure I could really get strict on what I eat but I don't feel the need to. I don't eat big portions, I am a small eater naturally.

tom_e · 16 Jan 2014 at 16:19

Footyslayer said:
Three go ahead crispy slices for breakfast....

Would you eat a Mars bar for breakfast?
If the answers no then don't eat that crap either. It's just sugar.

Footyslayer · 16 Jan 2014 at 16:21

tom_e said:
Would you eat a Mars bar for breakfast?
If the answers no then don't eat that crap either. It's just sugar.

Well. Here is me thinking a 150 calorie breakfast can't be bad. Such a n00b

I see now that they account for 15% of your daily sugar allowance. Each slice has 4.9 grams so 3 would be 14.7 grams.