hydrating with osmo nutrition.

02/14/2014

I first heard about Osmo Nutrition midway through IM Canada training last year. Per Hailey‘s recommendation, I picked up some PreLoad to use during my last big build and race day… it worked wonders! Not a single cramp during some tough, humid workouts and long rides as well as faster recovery.

As soon as the women’s line launched late last fall, I placed an order and have been hydrating with it ever since. The active has a refreshing hint of light, mango-y flavor, and after countless bottles, I haven’t tired of it. I also love the saltiness of the PreLoad (another reason I want summer… hotter weather + longer workouts = more PreLoad… ha!).

A couple weeks ago, Coeur Sports announced its partnership with Osmo for our team hydration. A super synergy between two fantastic companies powered by incredible women… heck yes! Honored to be part of both.

To kick off the partnership, Coeur hosted a team call featuring Stacy Sims, the brains behind Osmo. This woman is rad – and, she knows her stuff. A nutrition scientist and exercise physiologist, Sims created Osmo after becoming hypernatremic racing Kona. While training in New Zealand after, she started mixing in the lab and researching how hormones impacted athletic performance. Her teammates tested her mixes during training with good results, and as her PhD evolved, she began studying how women and men respond differently. Hence, #womenarenotsmallmen 🙂

osmo collage

Indeed, we aren’t small men, and every month have to deal with our period – and, the hormone changes that come with it. Our estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate, impacting plasma volume, breaking down muscle and reducing our recovery ability. In other words, our mojo suffers a bit.

Osmo’s women’s specific line is formulated to help counteract those hormonal changes. A bit about each mix:

  • PreLoad Hydration hyper-hydrates, crosses the blood-brain barrier and “counteracts hormone-induced drop in body water,” i.e. it helps you find that mojo
  • Active Hydration has a bit more glucose, sodium and potassium to increase power output and improve endurance
  • Acute Recovery has more protein and glucose. Women have a shorter acute recovery window – about 30 minutes – so it’s important to refuel shortly after training

Lucky us, we got to ask Stacy some questions after she explained the science behind Osmo. First up, how does Mirena, an IUD with a localized dose of progesterone that inhibits your monthly period, affect our bodies + hydration? (Thank you, Sonja, for asking my exact question!) Stacy’s recommendation: Use the women’s line throughout the month, and be sure to keep on top of your protein intake before and after training.

Sims also recommends adapting your triathlon training based on your cycle. In the days leading up to it, focus more on technique and train at a lower intensity (pushing through = higher heart rate). If you can, plan training blocks around it – focus on swim technique and not speed, for example. If you have a race in the days leading up to your period, she recommends taking magnesium and having a few more carbs in your pocket. And, if you use caffeine during a race in that higher hormone window, know that it clears the blood faster; follow up the caffeine with a glucose tablet or a salty ball (recipe here… they.are.so.good!).

Sims’ motto: Food in the pocket, hydration in the bottle. In general, you should drink 0.18 to 0.2 ounces per pound of body weight per hour. Calorie-wise, 4 calories/kilo per hour on the bike, and 3-3.5 calories/kilo per hour on the run. For example, I weigh 121 pounds (~55 kg), so should have between ~22 and ~24 ounces of fluid per hour; 220 calories per hour on the bike; and between 165 and 192 calories per hour on the run. 

Sims’ other super helpful tips:

  • If you don’t like the salty goodness of PreLoad, drinking it icy cold helps it go down. Drink it the night prior to a big workout, race or if it’s hot as well as the morning of.
  • Don’t concentrate Osmo, as it’s specifically formulated. Concentrating it results in too much magnesium or potassium and the wrong osmolality (the body’s water-electrolyte balance).
  • Relying on something provided on the race course is never a good nutrition strategy because you don’t know how you’ll react.
  • What you do the first half of your race directly impacts the second half.
  • If the shit hits the fan on race day and you’re doing the porta-potty shuffle: Have some salty potato chips and plain water – easy carbs and a big hit of sodium. Definitely don’t add more sugar to your system! Also, avoid immodium; the best alternative is Pepto.
  • Take Tums toward the end of an IM bike. Because our bodies lose a lot of calcium and tightly holds on to magnesium, Tums helps keep them in closer balance, thus helping eliminate big muscle cramps, including the intestinal muscle. Sims recommends 1,000 mg Tums every 45 minutes starting the last hour of the bike and continuing on the run.
  • Gels aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. They’re concentrated carbs that go straight to the gut, and your body takes water from your blood to digest them, i.e. they’re an effective dehydrator.

Thank you, Osmo Nutrition, for keeping us Coeur Sports ladies hydrated this season!

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22 Comments

  • Reply Amy 02/14/2014 at 1:23 pm

    What a great nutrition post. I’ve booked-marked it for future reference 🙂

  • Reply Kerstin 02/14/2014 at 1:50 pm

    oh I need some of this for the Birkie! Can you find it in town or is online a must??

  • Reply Jocelyn B 02/14/2014 at 2:13 pm

    This is a great post. I’m definitely wanting to try OSMO out. I’ve recently tried Skratch, which I like SO MUCH more than nuun.

    I’m curious about the “food in the pocket” link. Is she really suggesting rice crispy treats as bike fuel? I can totally get behind that.

  • Reply Beth 02/14/2014 at 2:22 pm

    Really great tips! I never would have thought to take Tums. I do however, worry about the fat intake before the run b/c my stomach seems to hate peanut butter before a run for just that reason. Thank goodness I have til September to try and figure it out. Lol! As always, super useful information Erin. Thank you!!!

  • Reply Shannon @ Mon Amour 02/14/2014 at 3:07 pm

    Thank you for this post! I have been curious about Osmo and am jealous you are partnered with them. I will definitely be checking out their product soon

  • Reply Julia 02/14/2014 at 3:34 pm

    So my question for you ( or anyone) is if you have a mirena and dont get your period, how do you know and ..well…hard to plan for that isnt it:) Good post Erin:) hope we can talk more soon in person, over capps and beets. ( maybe not together! LOL)

  • Reply Leslie @ TriathleteTreats 02/14/2014 at 4:14 pm

    I agree with Julia! I have only had the Mirana for about 3 months so I am still getting my period but once its gone it will be hard to know what your cycle is like. I have been reading more about “our cycle” and how it affects our training. I already track so much stuff…my training…my eating…meal planning…I don’t know that it affects me that much that I really care! 🙁
    So exciting to be hydrating with Osmo. I have barely heard about them a few months ago. Maybe I will try it. Thanks for the info!

    • Reply Stacy 02/16/2014 at 10:25 pm

      Hey Leslie-(and Julia!)- it’s Stacy. Okay, we’re not textbook at all (if we were, we would all ovulate on exactly day 14, have two weeks of high hormone, then on day 28, hormones begin to drop, then period starts-day 1). With the Mirena- it’s a localized dose of progesterone released into the uterus; your estrogen levels are not affected. The basis of the IUD is to prevent implantation by changing the viscocity of the mucus and the uterine lining. It does shorten or stop your period because of the changing of the uterine wall inhibits the signalling for “sloughing off” (TMI??).
      For training/racing- know that your estrogen does still go up and down, and you have a bit more progesterone in the system (your natural levels plus a small amount of the IUD released progestin does get absorbed into the rest of the body). In this vein, you need to pay more attention to recovery (because progesterone is catabolic). Watch how caffeine affects you as well- in some women it is a faster uptake and thus a faster drop on blood sugar.

      • Reply Leslie @ TriathleteTreats 02/17/2014 at 3:24 pm

        Interesting info! So much to think about!!! Thanks Stacy!!!

        • Reply Julia 02/18/2014 at 4:24 pm

          Ah not TMI at all ( says the Physical Therapist who knows too much for her own good)
          Good information and since my OB basically said ” keep that mirena in!” to save me from more laproscopic surgeries I am all for the learningup front now for better life in 3-6 mos.
          Didnt know that about Caffeine:) I totally agree, I CRASH hard after a big capp and always thought it was just bc i am not a good coffee drinker!

  • Reply Kecia 02/14/2014 at 8:18 pm

    This is a GREAT post with lots of SUPER useful information!! I am excited to be experimenting with Osmo Nutrition!! Thanks so much Erin for recommending it to me 😉 I’ll be giving the PreLoad a try for the first time this weekend…I want to see how my body responds to it. I figure a 2.5 hour HIIT trainer ride will be a good way to experiment on a shorter but higher intensity workout.

  • Reply Danielle @ I Eat Therefore I Run 02/15/2014 at 5:21 am

    What an informative post! I’ll look into these products, hopefully I can get them here. Thanks Erin! 🙂

  • Reply carrisamarie 02/15/2014 at 6:44 am

    Wow, I had no idea fueling and hydrating could be so complicated! Thanks for braking it down. I’ve definitely got a lot to learn!

  • Reply Maggs 02/15/2014 at 7:37 am

    All good information. I’m going to give Osmo a try this year.

  • Reply Ashley 02/15/2014 at 2:00 pm

    This is great! I will get a chance to try osmo in a few weeks at the vanderkitten team training camp!!

  • Reply Nathan 02/16/2014 at 12:22 am

    Great advice about the pepto. Best to get it all out 🙂 Interesting product I hadn’t heard of before.

  • Reply ktfit 02/17/2014 at 1:31 pm

    I LOVE this! What a fabulous post, Erin. Very well written, and easily summarized for everyone to understand.

  • Reply Osmo Nutrition – What is it good for? | KatieHartMorse 02/19/2014 at 6:14 pm

    […] rarely share other people’s posts on my blog, but I LOVED Erin’s Recap of Osmo Nutrition, and instead of trying to re-create my own, I thought, hey…I’ll […]

  • Reply Kristen 02/22/2014 at 2:06 pm

    Wow, this is such great and interesting information. thanks for sharing all these tips! I never really thought about how your cycle can affect hydration / nutrition.

  • Reply Kistrie 02/24/2014 at 2:26 am

    Excelent Post! Loved it!

  • Reply my favorite recovery smoothies. - sweet sweat life 03/04/2015 at 10:30 am

    […] Osmo Nutrition acute recovery has been my go-to after tough sessions the past year for a couple reasons. One, the honey and spice flavor mixes well with any combo (even straight up almond milk). And, most importantly, the women’s specific line is formulated to help counteract the hormonal changes that come along with being a woman, so it has more protein and glucose necessary to refuel after training (we have a shorter acute recovery window – about 30 minutes – so it’s important to refuel shortly after training; read more here).  […]

  • Reply Howie 08/22/2018 at 1:35 am

    4 Hydration Physiology: The Basics
    http://www.scienceofultra.com/podcasts/4
    Dr. Sam Cheuvront(1) and Dr. Robert Kenefick(2) disagree with Sims regarding calcium. “Once some sweat starts being run through the sweat glands there is very, very little [in the way of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, BCAA’s]. So only the sodium, potassium, and chloride are necessary to replace.”

    (1) Research Physiologist and Team Leader of the Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division at the US. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM).

    (2) Principal Investigator in the Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division at USARIEM.

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