A Word On Hydration

Whether you’re training for your next event or simply trying to stay ahead of the weeds in your garden, staying hydrated during the summer months often takes a conscious effort.
Even low levels of dehydration can lead to premature fatigue, head ache, cramping and muscle soreness. Proper hydration, on the other hand, helps you to work longer with more energy, get more done, and recover faster with less fatigue and soreness in the hours and days following your activity.

With Performance, Shaklee developed a product that rehydrates faster than water. Here’s how (and why other sports drinks don’t quite measure up):

1) Popular sports drinks have 3 main problems: too much processed sugar, not enough essential minerals (electrolytes), and an unbalanced proportion of quality carbohydrates (not all carbs are created equal).

2) Processed sugar is always a problem, but with the high levels found in most sports drinks, it actually pulls water out of your bloodstream to help break down the sugar. This makes your body work harder to stay hydrated. You want the water in your body—not your stomach.

3) Leading research has shown that there are 6 essential minerals (electrolytes) necessary for optimum uptake of water to the cells. Since other sport drinks are severely lacking in these, more of the fluid sits in the stomach and intestines waiting to be absorbed (along with the additional fluids pulled in to help the stomach break down the extra sugar).

4) Shaklee’s Performance uses a special blend of 3 high quality carbohydrates to provide immediate, mid, and slow burn sources of energy for continuous energy supply to your muscles.

5) The latest research shows that there is a specific level of carbohydrate intake that is most beneficial. Less than 18 grams is not enough to do any good, and more than 28 grams can cause cramping and digestive problems. Performance has 25 grams.

6) Some companies include vitamins in their sports drinks. Vitamins are for recovery, not hydration. Vitamins induce digestion which, like too many carbohydrates, may cause cramping. In the very least processing vitamins requires energy--energy you could be using to perform.

We drink a lot of Performance around here, and not just when we’re working. The kids love it. Juice, Kool-Aid, Soda? No thanks. It comes on trips in the car to run errands, it goes in the cooler when we go swimming or on a picnic. We drink it, (the kids request it) with a refreshing afternoon snack, we often drink it with lunch and dinner. It really is an all purpose drink.

And you won’t believe how good it tastes when you’re thirsty.