Do you get a sports nutrition hangover?
Good sports nutrition feels awesome. It is a joy to eat, tastes great, is easy on the stomach and delivers a perfect plateau of long lasting, stable energy. Better still, it speeds up your recovery and leaves you with pep in your step the morning after race day.
Is this how your sports nutrition feels?
If you're reading this there's a good chance it is.
But for many athletes the reality is often very different and they're stuck with products that taste artificial, that need forcing down, and which then play havoc with their stomachs while sending energy levels on an unpredictable rollercoaster ride.
And then comes the hangover...
A hard day in the saddle or on your feet pounding down this type of nutrition means your insides are put through the wringer simply dealing with the low grade fuel they've being given.
So as well as the sore muscles that are normal the following day, you also get:
- Headaches
- Cold sweats/hot flushes
- Stomach rumblings/upset
These are not a normal part of sport or exhaustion, rather they're the surefire signs of a body in distress working out the toxins that were poured into it the previous day.
If getting out of bed feels like this the morning after race day - that'll be your sports nutrition hangover saying hello. Good news, it's totally avoidable with the three tips below
What causes a sports nutrition hangover?
It's all down to ingredient quality, or lack of it, and sadly most ordinary sports nutrition is little more than overpriced junk food.
Behind the science, marketing and bold claims all you'll find are the cheapest artificial sweeteners and additives the food industry has to offer.
These are the same ingredients found in the foods least associated with health and performance like sweets, sodas, fast food, and the same ingredients also linked to today's biggest health issues from diabetes and heart disease to obesity and more.
Heck, fructose - common in ordinary energy gels and drinks - is even known as 'alcohol without the buzz' in some medical circles due to it hitting the liver in exactly the same damaging way as booze does
Overall, the body doesn't like these ingredients very much in small doses when it's chilling out, let alone by the boatload when it's working its socks off in a race.
So the body rebels on race day, and then kicks in with a sports nutrition hangover the following morning just to make sure you get the message loud and clear.
"I knew I shouldn't have had that extra energy gel..." - being made from junk food filler, ordinary sports nutrition makes itself felt in all the wrong ways the next day
Beat the sports nutrition hangover in three easy steps
If your sports nutrition makes you feel like cr*p on race day and leaves you with a punishing hangover afterwards, here's how to fix it and turn your fueling into the perfect dream scenario as outlined at the start of this post - all in thee simple steps:
- First, put the four pillars of awesome sports nutrition in place
- Next, improve your ability to fuel from stored fat, naturally
- And finally, make real food your default go-to fuel source for all of your sports nutrition needs
It's time to kick the sports nutrition hangover into touch - training and racing is hard enough already without your sports nutrition doing you in while you're at it!
Adios sports nutrition hangover! Add good food, great fuel and a little fat adaption to the mix and you never need to see another sports nutrition hangover ever again, no matter how hard, fast or long you go. Boom!
Looking to upgrade your race fuel?
At 33Fuel we believe sports nutrition should be nothing short of awesome. Delicious, powerful, and only made with the best ingredients in nature - no chemical nonsense.
Our groundbreaking Pre and Post Workout Shakes pack nature's 33 most powerful athletic ingredients into one delicious shake to be used for your biggest sessions and races, while our unique 4-ingredient Chia Energy Gels are the ultimate in-race fuel for stable energy, great taste and - seriously - no stomach issues.
Buy them separately, or choose our bundle deals for the biggest possible savings. We look forward to welcoming you in store at 33Fuel.com soon.
With 3 x Pre and Post Workout Shakes and 5 x Chia Energy Gels the 33Fuel Race Weekend Bundle has your next race covered. Use one Shake as breakfast on race morning, one as immediate recovery on finishing, and the third to further boost recovery the next day. Deploy the Chia Energy Gels as needed during your race for delicious stable energy
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