It’s cold out, don’t forget to hydrate!
Our customers are tough and don’t let cold weather get in the way of their training. Many people don’t realize we lose as much or more fluid working and training in the cold compared to the heat, just in different ways.
The cold makes us urinate more. They call it “Cold Induced Diuresis” or CID. We also lose more fluid while breathing. We must humidify the cold dry air so our lungs don’t crack like our hands and lips do. We still sweat; it just may take a little longer to work up a sweat. Our thirst sensation is blunted so we often drink less when in reality we need more. We burn more carbohydrate training (and shivering) in the cold as well.
Consequences of not enough fluid are different also. We are at higher risk for hypothermia if we allow ourselves to get dehydrated while training. This is especially a concern if we are a little wet from sweat. We are more susceptible to cold weather illness like the flu or fever if we are chronically dehydrated. Oh yea, and we slow down and have impaired reaction time when dehydrated.
How much to drink can be tricky. Try to stick with a similar hydration plan as in the summer. Drink 2-4 liters of water for your baseline hydration and add 1-2 liters of your favorite Cerasport formula to meet additional fluid and electrolyte needs.
Cera Products makes hydration formulas ideal for cold weather training and rehydration. In the cold, warm fluids are ideal. Ceralyte 70® is an oral rehydration solution with 1,610 mg sodium per liter that can be used in place of IV fluids, which can be very difficult to administer in cold weather. This formula comes in a chicken broth flavor that can be consumed warm. The benefit to our formula over traditional chicken broth is we also have 40 grams of rice-based carbohydrate per liter. This is ideal to treat individuals with hypothermia, who are typically dehydrated and have not consumed food in a while. This is also good to treat fever, chills, and diarrhea associated with the flu.
Our newest product, Cerasport Endurance, contains 15 g whey protein, 60 g carbohydrate and 800 mg sodium per liter. This is perfect to take skiing, on day long hikes or day long search and rescue missions.
Use Cerasport EX1 when you have been out all day and may not have sufficiently hydrated due to lack of thirst, poor planning or perhaps not able to stop for fluids. The higher sodium formula is needed when you are more than 3% dehydrated.
Cerasport Plus has 60 grams of rice-based carbohydrate per liter with the sodium level of our traditional Cerasport but a higher carbohydrate concentration. This is ideal for cold weather training, particularly at altitude where carbohydrate needs are higher.
All of our products are certified Gluten Free by the National Celiac Association, are soy-free, non-GMO, contain no artificial colors or sweeteners and have no added sugar. Our products are sweetened with Stevia and the small amount of sugar comes from the rice.
For more information on Cera Products, please reach out to our dietitian, Trisha, at tstavinoha@ceraproducts.us and visit our website https://ceraproductsinc.com/.
Established in 1993, trusted by the military since 1999.
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