This summer I attended several bicycle events. Besides having my bicycle finely tuned (I love to hear a clean “click” when shifting gears instead of a grinding noise) my main concerns are my stamina and preventing muscle spasms from lactic acid build up.
During these bicycle events the organizers offer a variety of snacks and energy drinks at the rest stops. Except for the fruits, all of them contain either table sugar or corn syrup, which I avoid because they are mineral robbers and acidify the body. Some drinks are carbonated. I do not know who would go for them: either you burp or you bicycle. I challenge you to take deep breaths and burp at the same time!
There are always big containers of water and Gatorade to fill your bottles. Water does not replenish the minerals lost from perspiring. Gatorade contains water, sucrose (table sugar) and glucose-fructose syrups, citric acid, fish oil, sodium chloride (table salt), sodium citrate, and potassium phosphate. Other minerals like calcium, magnesium, and copper, which are essential antispasmodics, are lacking.
During daily activity our body produces energy (ATP) from carbs, fats and protein with the help of oxygen. This is called aerobic glycolysis. There is no lactic acid build up and the body does not become acidic. However, the rate of aerobic ATP production is slow. During a vigorous work out the body switches to anaerobic ATP production. There is substantial lactic acid build up in the muscles, which causes pain and muscle spasms. Excessive lactic acid production can lead to lactic acidosis. During anaerobic glycolysis it is essential to replenish the body with minerals and to keep the body alkaline.
A Google search “home made energy drinks” returned 68,800,000 hits. The worst suggestion was a mix of Red Bull, Coke, with extra sugar and table salt!
Needless to say that none of these home made power drinks satisfied my needs and wants.
I was looking for an energy drink that tastes good, quenches the thirst, replenishes the minerals, contains fast and slow acting sugars, and helps the body stay alkaline.
After several weeks of trial and error I came up with this “Lemoney Mix”:
2 tablespoons of lemon juice or 1 lemon (lemons have an alkaline effect in the human body, despite the high acid content!)
2 tablespoons of raw (yes, I know, but honestly have you EVER actually heard of a person coming down with botulism from raw honey?) honey (contains fast and slow acting sugars)
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt® (contains mineral rich brine and trace minerals)
1 quart of water
If you need some caffeine use ice tea instead of water
Happy workout!
Peter Hinderberger, M.D., Ph.D., DIHom practices at Ruscombe. The mission of his practice is to promote optimal wellbeing by providing health care through an integrated approach, combining conventional and complementary therapies, which include Anthroposophic medicine, homeopathy, and salutogenesis.