Hydration Blog

We thought we'd share this one. 

We hear of people using H2Pro Hydrate tablets in some creative ways from time to time; adding them to carbohydrate drinks to boost the sodium content or mixing them in 50/50 with flat coke and water to create a very effective caffeinated, carb drink for racing. But this is definitely the most sophisticated use we've come across so far. 

What's more it's from a very well respected source in the world of nutrition; Barbara Cox, CEO of Nutrichef (who incidentally you can follow on twitter @NutriBarbara), and she's been adding it to her smoothies....Thanks for the heads up on this Barbara....

H2Pro Smoothies:

Dissolve 1 table in 500mls water

Add 1 banana

Add handful of strawberries and blueberries

1 tbsp Chlorella (sea algae for protein)

1 shot wheatgrass juice (I use live frozen wheatgrass shots)

Whizz all together in the blend and voila….gorgeous!

The Patrouille Des Glaciers (PDG) is one of the worlds toughest ski mountaineering races. Held every 2 years in the Alps near Zermatt, Switzerland it is an event with military origins and in 2012 a group of British soldiers headed out to take on the challenge - using H2Pro Hydrate to keep their fluids and electrolytes topped up in a very harsh, unforgiving environment. This is what they had to say about their experience:

"Despite having limited time to prepare we used H2Pro during the flight to Switzerland 48hrs prior to the race which undoubtably helped with our basic hydration. During our training day before the race we tested the race concentration to confirm suitability. Not only did the product keep us hydrated during a long and arduous day but I'm convinced it helped us adjust to the altitude and acclimatise quicker. Although the race was stopped due to avalanches I am sure H2Pro mitigated our lack of environmental training and acclimatisation."

Hydration at high altitude can be an issue due to the dryness of the air and sweat losses whilst ski mountaineering can be very high as it requires a lot of clothing to be worn to protect against the elements yet work rates are very high. Having H2Pro Hydrate in the water they were carrying also helped to stop it freezing up in sub zero temperatures.

We will be supporting the British team in 2 years time when they will get a second chance to take on the PDG - hopefully this time without the avalanche risk that cut this years race short. 

Lee Shannahan with his H2Pro Hydrate and the Matterhorn in the background:

We were interested to read an announcement that someone in the US has created the "ultimate sports drink" with its own spin on the ideal electrolyte mix