The people over at Wellness Brands were kind enough to send me a few samples of the new hydration drink developed by NASA called “The Right Stuff”. They've licensed the product from NASA.
Here is a little background on my hydration experience.
When I first started riding, like most, I had no concept of what to drink or what was good for you. You see I remember when nobody used hydration packs and everyone just had water bottles, we wore spandex back then too. I think the first thing I ever put in my water bottles was ice water. We’d ride all day and I maybe drink 2 bottles and I usually ended up feeling horrible. You see the commercials and think I’ll just drink a sports drink. I learned quickly that drinking 64 oz of Gatorade on a ride was not the right thing to do. I would develop serious stomach problems, not to mention the cramping and trips to the bathroom, again I would end up feeling like crap. I went back to water and not consuming enough. I developed frequent kidney stones, which were determined to be caused by dehydration.
I with information from my doctor I seriously started thinking about pre-ride hydration, hydrating during the ride and after ride hydration. I tried various products over the years, some tasted horrible, but for the past 4 or 5 years I’ve been drinking Cytomax and it has probably worked the best for me. I’ve learned how important pre-ride hydration is for me and watching what I eat. I still feel the effects of dehydration from time to time. As much as I rely on Cytomax there are some things to consider. A serving (1 scoop of the powder) has 22 carbs, 120 mg of sodium, 12g sugar. One serving is supposed to be mixed with 8oz of water, which means if you fill your 100oz bladder you would be taking in 150 grams of sugar. That’s why we mix our Cytomax weak. After this weekend I’m seriously considering changing my sports drink.
The Right Stuff. When I first received the package I was shocked to see about the only ingredient was sodium. It’s a blend of sodium chloride and sodium citrate. It comes in plastic vials that hold .55 fl oz of the solution, which is to be mixed with 16 oz water or your favorite drink.
The first sample I had was after I led the ride at South Park on Friday. I had week old cytomax in my camelback and was in a rush so I just put some additional water in with it. It was pretty gross. I really didn’t drink that much. It wasn’t a long ride, but we did do some pretty quick riding at times. Afterwards, I didn’t drink anything at Barely and Hops when we stopped at leaving the park. On my long drive home I started to get the oh too familiar headache, I knew it was going to happen. I remembered the samples and as soon as I got home I squirted a vial of the unflavored fluid into a glass of water. I could see the cloud of salinity as it hit the water. A quick stir and I drank it down. It was a little salty, of course, but not bad at all. It didn't taste like you put a table spoon of salt in a glass and drank it. It was milder. It was late so I went to bed. I woke up feeling pretty good. There was no sugar or carbs to keep me awake.
I decided it was time for a real test. The bike fest ride at Bavington would be perfect. I started my day by hydrating. I drank about 32 ounces of water and a glass of FRS, something else you should check out. Preparing my camelback bladder for the ride I squirted one of the citrus blend vials into my bladder and added about 80 ounces of water. It was pretty warm and the sun was out most of the ride. I frequently pressed my helmet to my head to squeeze the sweat out of the pads and my skull cap. I really couldn’t taste the citrus flavor, and I We did about 15 miles and I think I had one of my better rides. I didn’t quite drink all of the liquid, but I didn’t feel thirsty. No headache, no burping Cytomax and no cramps. I felt pretty damn good. I was pretty surprised at how I felt, honestly.
I’m really anxious to continue using The Right Stuff to see if I have the same results on other rides. For the moment I’m pretty impressed.
When I first started riding, like most, I had no concept of what to drink or what was good for you. You see I remember when nobody used hydration packs and everyone just had water bottles, we wore spandex back then too. I think the first thing I ever put in my water bottles was ice water. We’d ride all day and I maybe drink 2 bottles and I usually ended up feeling horrible. You see the commercials and think I’ll just drink a sports drink. I learned quickly that drinking 64 oz of Gatorade on a ride was not the right thing to do. I would develop serious stomach problems, not to mention the cramping and trips to the bathroom, again I would end up feeling like crap. I went back to water and not consuming enough. I developed frequent kidney stones, which were determined to be caused by dehydration.
I with information from my doctor I seriously started thinking about pre-ride hydration, hydrating during the ride and after ride hydration. I tried various products over the years, some tasted horrible, but for the past 4 or 5 years I’ve been drinking Cytomax and it has probably worked the best for me. I’ve learned how important pre-ride hydration is for me and watching what I eat. I still feel the effects of dehydration from time to time. As much as I rely on Cytomax there are some things to consider. A serving (1 scoop of the powder) has 22 carbs, 120 mg of sodium, 12g sugar. One serving is supposed to be mixed with 8oz of water, which means if you fill your 100oz bladder you would be taking in 150 grams of sugar. That’s why we mix our Cytomax weak. After this weekend I’m seriously considering changing my sports drink.
The Right Stuff. When I first received the package I was shocked to see about the only ingredient was sodium. It’s a blend of sodium chloride and sodium citrate. It comes in plastic vials that hold .55 fl oz of the solution, which is to be mixed with 16 oz water or your favorite drink.The first sample I had was after I led the ride at South Park on Friday. I had week old cytomax in my camelback and was in a rush so I just put some additional water in with it. It was pretty gross. I really didn’t drink that much. It wasn’t a long ride, but we did do some pretty quick riding at times. Afterwards, I didn’t drink anything at Barely and Hops when we stopped at leaving the park. On my long drive home I started to get the oh too familiar headache, I knew it was going to happen. I remembered the samples and as soon as I got home I squirted a vial of the unflavored fluid into a glass of water. I could see the cloud of salinity as it hit the water. A quick stir and I drank it down. It was a little salty, of course, but not bad at all. It didn't taste like you put a table spoon of salt in a glass and drank it. It was milder. It was late so I went to bed. I woke up feeling pretty good. There was no sugar or carbs to keep me awake.
I decided it was time for a real test. The bike fest ride at Bavington would be perfect. I started my day by hydrating. I drank about 32 ounces of water and a glass of FRS, something else you should check out. Preparing my camelback bladder for the ride I squirted one of the citrus blend vials into my bladder and added about 80 ounces of water. It was pretty warm and the sun was out most of the ride. I frequently pressed my helmet to my head to squeeze the sweat out of the pads and my skull cap. I really couldn’t taste the citrus flavor, and I We did about 15 miles and I think I had one of my better rides. I didn’t quite drink all of the liquid, but I didn’t feel thirsty. No headache, no burping Cytomax and no cramps. I felt pretty damn good. I was pretty surprised at how I felt, honestly.
I’m really anxious to continue using The Right Stuff to see if I have the same results on other rides. For the moment I’m pretty impressed.
Peace....
2 comments:
I am really interested to see where you end up with this. I have some pretty serious issues with headaches after rides that just debilitate me for the rest of the day sometimes. Everyone I talk to asks if I drink a lot of water, and I drink more than any of the other riders I ride with.
I met the maker of this Right Stuff at Interbike. He gave me a couple of samples. I just ordered a 10-pak from his website.
This product may be a good one, but I think it is a bit pricey. Could someone just put a pinch a sea salt and half an alka seltzer in a bottle and get the same benefits?
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