I am not sure about you but spending $2 for a "fitness bar" or "energy bar" is crazy. It's fine if you are eating 1 or 2 per month, but I know people (cough...in my house) that eat 2 per day. Yes, that's a stiff $120 each month. So, I set out to find some easy things we could concoct at home that would provide the same effect, without the high cost. I love what found.
A site named Cycling Performance Tips lists tons of little snacks that probably already in your pantry. Instead of just running out the door, plan a little - Grab a ziploc bag, fill it and then head to the gym.
The tips on their site that I personally like the best are the 5 Energy drink recipes. Here's one of them that is comparable to Gatorade:
Recipe #1
* 10 tbs. sugar (5/8 cups or 120 grams)
* .75 tsp Morton Lite salt (4.2 grams)
* 1 package of unsweetened Koolaide mix for flavor
* Water to make 2 liters
Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces). The recipe will give a total of 124 grams of solute which in 2 liters water gives a total of 6.2% concentration.
* 14.2 grams carbohydrate (6%)
* 53 calories
* 103 mg Sodium
* 121 mg Potassium
You'll notice that the amount of potassium is quite a bit higher than Gatorade, but the rest is pretty close. As excess potassium is eliminated from the body by the kidneys, and some experts feel a high potassium helps to minimize muscle cramps - and hypertension if taken long term - this is not necessarily bad. However, if you wanted to reduce the potassium to the level of a Gatorade product, another option would be to use 1/2 tsp. each of regular salt and the Morton Lite Salt. This would change the composition to:
* 104mg sodium
* 40mg potassium
Hey did you notice how much sugar is in Gatorade? Wow.
Visit Cycling Performance Tips for the rest of the recipes and ideas.
Photo: Liza Inc. on Flickr
