Chris Newport explains why endurance athletes should stop asking which gel is best and instead build a personalized system based on sweat testing. Your fluid, sodium, and carb needs vary with intensity, climate, and physiology. Test your sweat profile, calculate your numbers, then pick products that fit.
Welcome to the Find Your Edge podcast. I'm your host, Chris Newport, founder, head coach, sports nutritionist, and exercise physiologist at The Endurance Edge. Our mission is to empower people to reach and sustain peak performance and health.
So get ready to dive into all things training, nutrition, recovery, and more.
We hope to give you detailed information and inspiring stories to help you be your best.
Let's do it. Hey friends, and welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. It is getting warmer outside, and that means that we're gonna be getting lots of new questions relating to fueling and hydration. More people are experiencing things like cramping or GI distress, or they head out to their local event and they're finding, oh no, that was terrible. I bonked, or I felt terrible, and it's gotta be something related to my nutrition. So I'm glad you're here because I encourage you to think a little differently. A common thing that we see is that so many people come into us and they are chasing products instead of actually building a system. So athletes think that the answer is finding the perfect gel, the perfect drink mix, the perfect electrolyte, or the supplement. So they ask questions like, what's the right gel to use? What's the best electrolyte? What's the best sports drink? But that is the wrong question. The better question to be asking is, what does my body actually need? Because the best product or products for one athlete can be the complete wrong answer for another. This is one of the reasons why we have compiled so many different products on the market. We're at well over 200 right now. And everything from gels, drink mixes, electrolyte mixes, real food products, water, individual ingredients, the whole nine yards to help people to create the system that works best for their body. That doesn't mean that one product is necessarily superior. There are better options for where some folks are at. So for example, if someone is not a very heavy sweater, but they're very salty, they're gonna have a different strategy than somebody who is a heavy sweater but is not salty. There can also be some nuances in terms of what is your ability or logistical opportunities to be able to carry certain things. So if you are cycling, say in an Ironman, versus if you're running in a marathon where you can't carry a whole lot of things, those options are gonna be different. So there are different strategies that align with what you need that are not necessarily focused on one product, but it's a system that we create together. And all of that comes by knowing your sweat profile. So that comes first. So before even choosing products, which listen, I know that you guys are out there and you're like, but I've tried this product and that product and this product and nothing works. Again, it's not that those things aren't working. We just have to put them together in the right way that suits you the best. So again, before choosing products, you need to understand how much fluid do you use. Know that this number is dynamic. It's dynamic based on how hard you're working. So the intensity and the conditions you're training in and racing in. So us here in North Carolina, although the weather is beautiful right now, you never know, tomorrow is going to be super humid.. And of course that is gonna give you a different, a slightly different plan than when it's colder outside. So you have to know the intensity, you have to know the conditions you're training and racing with, and then you specifically have to know how much fluid that you are losing. And even more importantly is how much sodium do you actually lose? That is one of the main electrolytes that is important for muscle function. And if you're not getting enough of that, in conjunction with having the right amount of fluid. Again, this is all your sweat profile that backs us into what you actually need. So this is why sweat testing is so important, and you can't build a hydration strategy without knowing your specific hydration needs. Otherwise, you're just guessing. I have had a few people over the years who guess and get lucky, and I can probably count on one hand the number of people, people that that actually was. It's, it's It's pretty wild. So after you know your sweat profile, next piece is to back into your formula. So again, most athletes are starting with products. We start with actual numbers. So once we know your fluid needs, your sodium needs, and your carb needs, then we fit the products into the plan. It might be something that you buy or it might be something that you make. Totally can work based on what your goal is, but don't do it the other way around. Not finding those products first and then trying to fit them into your fluid sodium and carb needs. This is that key shift that really changes everything. So the other piece that really dials this in, and this is unique to what we offer here, but maybe this is something that you could also work with another dietitian if you're not working with somebody like us. Accountability changes everything. So a lot of athletes are collecting their data and then they never do anything. It's the same reason why you're working with a coach, right? They should be analyzing your data. They should be looking at, were you in the right zone? Were you at the right intensity? What was your variability index? What was your normalized power? All of those different things your coach should be looking at. It's no different with us as nutrition professionals. Collect the data and then do something with it. Create the plan and then test it out. So this is really where the magic happens. When again, you collect the data, create the plan, test it in training, adjust it, get feedback. And what comes from all of that is total confidence, total trust in the plan that works best for you. Not more information. Not another product that some other pro is using. This is all about implementation based on your specific needs. So if you are ready to stop guessing and start being confident in your fueling and hydration plan that works best for your body, that is why we created the Fueling and Hydration Bootcamp. Because most endurance athletes don't need more nutrition information. They need a fueling and hydration system that they trust. So this helps you stop guessing, stop chasing products, and actually build a system, trust your plan, and then show up to race day or even training. Even if you don't wanna race, just show up to training and feel good, feel confident, feel like you're actually having fun. So enrollment for the Fueling and Hydration Bootcamp is now open. So if you're tired of the trial and error, of the product chasing and ready to build a system that is personalized to you and your specific needs, head on over to theenduranceedge.com/fuelingbootcamp and join us before enrollment closes. So as a little bonus, if you've made it all the way to the end and you come register with us, I'm giving away 2 free one-on-one sessions. So $100 value that you get for free if you're one of the first 2 people to use the word podcast in in the how did you hear about us when you register. So I look forward to seeing you all there, helping you all build a system, helping you all trust your training plan, help you stop chasing products and actually feel confident in your training and racing fueling and hydration plan so that it matches all the effort that you're putting into your, all the effort, all the investment that you're putting into actually being a better athlete and hopefully sticking with it for as long as you possibly can. All right, thank you so much for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast, and I look forward to catching you next time.
Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at the Endurance enduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again. And we'll catch you next time.
