Sports Drink

[Magicman]

I started this in the "Food" Board, but thought that it was more about hydration and it's relationship to the HOT weather that is bearing down on most of us.  I am not sawing but I am already wearing my third shirt for today.  

I drink a lot of water but still not enough.  When I am sweating this much I occasionally drink a Yellow 12oz. Gatorade Thirst Quencher but I seldom empty the bottle the first time.  I may drink ¼ and then fill it back up with water.  The bottle gets more diluted each time I take a swig.  I once had a young tailgunner that got greedy and downed a couple in one sitting.  Yup, it was yellow going down and yellow coming back up and then he looked a bit green.   :

[Tom the Sawyer]

I often get leg cramps on evenings after working in high temps all day.  I asked my doctor about it and he said the sports drinks would do the most good if consumed the evening before.  

I try to avoid working when the heat index is over 100° (chemo left me with sensitivity to heat similar to those who have had heat stroke), but if I do I'll drink a quart of PowerAde Zero the evening before, and drink one bottle during the job, along with lots of water.  

Wednesday I milled at a construction site where he had to get his logs done or they went in the burn pit.  We did 1500 board feet of walnut, red oak, white oak, and hackberry - heat index peaked at 116°.  Still had leg cramps but not nearly as intense.

[thecfarm]

Leg cramps    Ayup I drink lots of water just before bed time, Well I drink a lot through the day but make sure I have some with the FF before bed time. Also drinking a lot just before bedtime ensures that I wake up at least twice in the night.
I wear them cooler shirts now. There was a thread on them a few years ago. I'm not a rich man,but I bought one and I have about 10 now.  ;D  The only thing, them shirts get dirty and stay dirty. My wife has a fit about them. 100% polyester I feel is what I need. Wash them and they are dry in minutes. 
As Magicman I use to go through some shirts in a day too. 
Those cooler shirts work good in the heat. No sticking to ya,and the shirts make you feel cooler.

[Bruno of NH]

I drink lots of water and the cool shirts are great.

[lxskllr]

I just drink water. If I'm with the boss, and we go to right place for lunch, I'll have a beer. I get enough salt with my average lunch. This would be a typical example...

kippered herring
pretzels
quinoa salad
granola bar
cheese stick
apple
orange

I mix it up, and switch stuff around, but that's a good representation. I go to work with a full size cooler. I have a 2L frozen bottle of water I use just for cooling, and year long, I have 3 1qt military canteens of water. In the summer, I add a frozen 1.5L bottle of water for extra cooling, and a reserve water source.

[loganworks2]

When I was a firefighter/EMT as Saftey officer water was a requirement and we made sure they all drank plenty. We would mix a can of oj concentrate to 3 gallons of water to keep electrolytes stable.

[Roxie]

I've been using this recipe from the Farmer's Almanac for years.  The only thing I modify, is omit the molasses and use just a half cup of maple syrup instead.  The freshly grated ginger is important.  No leg or toe cramps for me.  

Old-Fashioned Switchel Recipe
Here's a classic Haymaker's Punch recipe, which was unearthed from the archives of The Old Farmer's Almanac:

• 1 gallon water
• 1 ½ cups molasses
• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 

We like molasses, but you could replace it with maple syrup, honey, or another sweetener. You could cut back the sweetener, too. Find the right balance for you. Remember to start with less—as you can always add more. Switchel shouldn't coat your mouth; it should taste refreshing. Another idea is to add a teaspoon of fresh lemon or lime juice for zing.
 

[lxskllr]

I've been using this recipe from the Farmer's Almanac for years.  The only thing I modify, is omit the molasses and use just a half cup of maple syrup instead.  The freshly grated ginger is important.  No leg or toe cramps for me. 

Old-Fashioned Switchel Recipe
Here's a classic Haymaker's Punch recipe, which was unearthed from the archives of The Old Farmer's Almanac:

• 1 gallon water
• 1 ½ cups molasses
• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

We like molasses, but you could replace it with maple syrup, honey, or another sweetener. You could cut back the sweetener, too. Find the right balance for you. Remember to start with less—as you can always add more. Switchel shouldn't coat your mouth; it should taste refreshing. Another idea is to add a teaspoon of fresh lemon or lime juice for zing.

I'll have to try that. Looks good.

I've been on a fire cider kick lately. I look forward to my cider shot in the morning. I can't say it's improved my health or anything, but I look forward to it every day. I'm getting a commercial product from Wegmans, but I want to try making it myself. I haven't seen horseradish though in my quick looks. The other ingredients are readily available. This is the commercial product...

https://firecider.com/products/6-pack-8oz-original-fire-cider

I pay $11/8oz. It's spendy, but I have to spend my money on something. I got depression era frugal due to a severe economic downturn, so I don't spend a lot of money frivolously, even though I'm doing much better now, but I've started drawing the line at food products. If I see something interesting, it's my policy to buy it regardless of cost. I've gotten some treasures doing that, and my life is marginally better. It also makes a good idea book for replicating, extending, and adapting. Besides, I've gotta spend my money on something. You can't take it with you...

[Magicman]

I printed it out.  Thank You Roxie, I think.  ;D

How much/often do you drink it?

[Roxie]

Every day during the summer.  I fill my 20 oz bottle at least twice a day. 

[WV_hillbilly]

I drink Propel , Power Ade zero and water during the day at work . when  I get home I drink more of the same and also  about 20 oz of Tonic water . the tonic water seems to help with the leg cramps at night . I might have to give the Switchel a try too.

[Sixacresand]

Propel is good stuff.  So is apple cider vinegar for cramps. 

[WV_hillbilly]

yes it is .  being a diabetic I have to watch the carbohydrates .  Regular Sports drinks are loaded with carbs so I shy away from them  .   My wife likes to add Vodka to her Propel as an adult beverage

[luvmexfood]

Been in hospital before for dehydration and messed up blood chemicals. Last time they gave me an IV that was green exactly the same color as the original Gatorade. Nurse told me it was to replace all the good stuff I was puking up. 

Told her I didn't think anything I had tossed back up was good. Not coming back up anyway. Time before that they gave me seven bags of IV before I was hydrated enough to pee. 

[Magicman]

I was a victim of heat exhaustion once.  Absolutely no fun and it took several years before I could withstand hot working conditions again.

[ellmoe]

Working in central Fl. during the summer is brutal. Running the planer in a tin covered roof with a white concrete floor with the sun bearing down form 9-11 am is a step beyond . I was the world's worse for getting cramps. Due to a heart condition I take magnesium and niacin, in addition to the usual liquids. bananas, etc.. I can't swear that there are the difference, but I'm relatively , for me, cramp free these days.

[barbender]

I drink a lot of Gatorade and Powerade, and I get severe cramps if I don't. I worked on an asphalt paving crew for years, and I could easily tell the difference drinking just water vs. sports drinks. I've always intended on finding electrolyte mix I could just put in water so I wouldn't be getting all the sugar, but that's as far as it got. I feel crummy enough without the Gatorade that I'm hesitant to experiment. I should mention, I sweat like a workhorse, and it's hard for me to stay hydrated. I put on a shirt yesterday morning, went outside and it was soaked in half an hour. So, I feel the sports drink fill an essential need for me.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I guzzle Perple Drunk daring the hot whether.
Gaves me skarenght to keep going.

IN facts eye'm guzzling one know. 

[WV_hillbilly]

Hey BB look for Squencher in individual packets that you add to a 16 oz bottle of water .  the contractor I work for buys them in bags that contain  30-40 ? pacs .they are sugar free too

[Brad_bb]

Tom, by leg cramps, I assuming you mean your calves locking up (charley horse).  That is an electrolyte imbalance.  

Tom and MM, Consider G2  (Gatorade 2),  It's better because it has far less sugar than regular, but has all the electrolyte you need.  So you won't have sugar highs and lows but keep your blood sugar more constant.  I like the red flavor.  I buy the powder online and and mix it at home with water.

MM, What kind of t-shirts are you wearing.  Cotton knit or a cotton poly knit in high humidity will get soaked and heavy.  Get the men's Breezeshooter t-shirts like the ones from Duluth Trading.  I like these.  They are lightweight, breeze blows through better, and if you do get them wet, they dry faster.  https://www.duluthtrading.com/search/searchresults/56242.aspx?kw=mens%20breezeshooter&processor=content

[barbender]

Hillbilly, I'll check into the Squencher. 

Brad, most of the low carb sports drinks I've looked into had artificial sweeteners in them- I hate that stuff. As for shirts, I've been buying athletic shirts at Walmart that are pure poly. They are really nice in the hot weather, but as someone else mentioned, they really stain bad. They get greasy and dirty and look just horrible.

[Roxie]

I ran the Switchel recipe through the recipe builder using my 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of the molasses, and here is the breakdown per cup:

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving

• Calories 26.6
• Total Fat 0.0 g
• Saturated Fat 0.0 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
• Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
• Cholesterol 0.0 mg
• Sodium 5.7 mg
• Potassium 26.1 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 6.9 g
• Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
• Sugars 6.0 g
• Protein 0.0 g

Here is the Nutrition Facts for Gatorade Low Calorie Grape:


Nutrition Facts

• Servings:  

 

Calories	30	Sodium	160 mg
Total Fat	0 g	Potassium	45 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	7 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	7 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Vitamin A	0%	Calcium	0

The ingredients:  water, sugar, citric acid, sodium citrate, salt, natural and artificial flavor, monopotassium phosphate, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, red 40, blue 1

[Magicman]

I'm making a run to the store and get some ginger so that I can make a batch or "Roxie's Brew".  Since I am not a heavyweight I'm not too concerned about the calories, but I will start with ½ cup of syrup.

There is a great difference between "high humidity" and our 100% Deep South humidity.    I tried those poly shirts only to find that the sweat runs down my upper body and sweat soaks my pants.  I wear 100% cotton which soaks up the sweat and keeps my pants dry.  I am perfectly content to change into a dry shirt several times a day. 

[rjwoelk]

I am with you Lynn on the cotton shirts. I wear the same type of shirt winter or summer.  30 below i stay warm and 90 above it is so soaked but if there is a breeze it feels cool.  We are getting into the 50 to 55 over night but mid to  upper 70s during the day but come august it will get hot again and july can be all over the temp map.
My biggest issue is sweat running into the eyes. Need to get a sweat band or something. 

[SwampDonkey]

What are the cool shirts made of? Linen/Flax? ;D