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Butcher's Dog! Regular
outdoor fitness tips from the canine on creatine. Cold wet
nose and glossy coat guaranteed.
Hell's Gels!
On our recent not enirely successful attempt
to traverse the Welsh 3000s, the nice people from High 5
very kindly gave us a selection of energy products - drinks,
gel and bars - okay, so we still didn't quite manage thet
walk, but here's a quick overview of the stuff we used and
what the pros and cons are.
General If
you think of your body as a fuel-fired engine burning
different fuels at different rates according to how hard
it's working, you'll get some idea of what's going on. The
bottom line is that some fuels burn fast - like kindling -
and are ideal for an instant blast of heat and energy, some
are medium term, like logs and some are the slow, long
burning steady type like big lumps of coal.
For very long, steady exercise sessions,
you'll be part relying on stored fat - like coal - but you
also need stored muscle glycogen, both for quick burning
bursts of energy on steep climbs for example, but also as an
ongoing background catalyst to help you burn fat. The
essence of energy bars / drinks and gels is to keep blood
glucose topped up to aid fat burning efficiency.
Energy Drinks - Pre-Mix We used
High5's Energy Source, which is a typical sports drink using
a complex carbohydrate (glucose polymer) formulation.
Complex carbs are absorbed more quickly than simple sugars
and are easier on the stomach because they're less sweet.
Avoid sports drinks which don't use these complex carbs /
maltodextrin. The berry flavour of the Source is pretty
palatable as well.
• The advantage of an energy drink
of the correct concentration is that you can take on board
an energy top up at the same time as maintaining your
hydration levels. A hydration system helping you take on
board small, regular doses is ideal.
• The concentration of the drink is
absolutely vital. You should aim for a maximum of around 8
per-cent glucose. Any more and you'll inhibit stomach
emtying and actually encourage dehydration. You may find a
less concentrated solution easier on the stomach
though.
Energy Gels We used High5 Energy
Gel, in fairly pleasant banana flavour. Think of gels as a
sort of concentrated energy source that's absorbed much
faster than solid food. You can feel them kick in after ten
minutes or so. Most come in packs of around 25 grammes and
provide about 300 calories plus the odd added nutrient,
notably sodium, which is reckoned to aid hydration during
exercise.
• You must drink at the same time to
create a readily absorbed solution in the stomach. Check the
manufacturer's instructions and follow them. The one
exception we're aware of are Science in Sport who produce an
isotonic gel, which means you don't need to drink at the
same time, which is handy. Interesting consistency
though...
• High5 suggest you can eat up to
four of their gel sachets an hour, we reckon one every 30
minutes is about right for most people and that's what we'd
suggest.
• Our faves is the Clif Shot Mocha
gel with added caffeine, unfortunately it's no longer
imported into the UK, but the effect is like sitting on a
barbed wire fence...
Energy Bars We used High5
Sportsbars in caramel flavour which were a bit of a
revelation compared to most energy bars not least because
they're toffee-flavoured and covered in a thin layer of milk
chocolate... They also include Maltodestrin, fruit, rice,
cereal and oats. The fat content is higher than most energy
bars at 8.5 per-cent, most have less, but they are actually
remarkably tasty and got a big thumbs up all
round.
• If you were planning to use them
as your main source of energy, you'd be better off with a
lower fat bar, but we actually see them as a substitute for,
say, confectionary as part of lunch or if you really,
desperately need to stick more calories in quickly. Why?
During exercise you can only absorb around 400 calories per
hour before you inhibit gastric emptying and start messing
with hydration levels. It's faster and more efficient to get
that energy in with gels and drink.
Recovery Bars Last but not least.
High5 also produces a 'Protein Bar' with 26 per-cent protein
another thin choccy coating and in our case, banana
flavoured. It's designed to be the optimum composition for
rapid absorption of carbohydrate in the crucial 30-minute
odd window after hard exercise. Research shows that taking
protein with carbohydrate speeds up the rate the carbs are
taken on board. Oh, and it tastes okay too. Not for use
actually while walking or climbing though, as your body
simply can't process the protein fast enough to make use of
it till later and at any rate, any excess is simply
converted to fat.
Canine Conclusions
No-one's saying that you have to use
energy foods and drinks - budget options like fig rolls and
malt loaf will do just fine most of the time - but when the
going gets tough, those gels and drinks could be enough to
give you the edge that will drag you through. That or a
small can of Pedigree Chum with added liver.
Woof!
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