I would rather eat something delicious than something that’s not. Most of you would agree with this.
I was selected as one of the product testers for Osmo Nutrition. The 5 week trial is over and it’s time for an update. Osmo sent me a big supply to use during the trial. The cost of sports drinks and recovery mix can really add up when I’m using a lot of it, but in this case I had so much that I didn’t have to worry about it. Part of the trial, for me at least, was experimenting with just using more during and after runs and eating more when I rode.
Luckily everything tasted good so the trial wasn’t a chore. I mostly used the Organic Blackberry Flavor of the Active Hydration and the Organic Vanilla version of the Acute Recovery.
There’s a warning about the Active Hydration on Osmo’s website and it should be heeded: “Both flavors of Active are mild and delicious. Each should be mixed with room temperature or chilled water and consumed during exercise.”
The mild flavor is important. If you’re going to consume something, other than coffee, every day, it had better taste good because you don’t want to get sick of it. Your coffee should taste good, too.
When I started the trial I had just finished a big block of training getting ready for IMMT and I wish the trial started 6 or 7 weeks earlier. The race went well, but I struggled at times during the training. I would get dehydrated or I would under fuel and would wake up in the middle of the night looking for water or food. I fueled the big days of training just fine, but it was the easy days with a short ride and a swim where I was falling a little short.
After recovery from IMMT training picked up again for Leadman Epic. Even a short 40 minute run was followed up with a serving of Active Hydration and a bottle of Chocolate Almond Milk mixed with Acute Recovery was always waiting for me in the car for the commute home after a swim.
I noticed two things. First, my appetite and serving sizes resembled more or less that of a regular guy. Second, I slept well. It’s difficult to say whether training was improved because I was fueling differently or because I just came off a big block a month before.
My shifter broke 5 miles into Leadman, so I didn’t finish and I’ll have to wait for next year to get a Big Buckle or write about racing with hydration in a bottle and food in the pockets.
For a long training ride my goal was about 400 calories per hour which was comprised of two to three servings of Active Hydration, always mixed to strength, and I left my house with my pockets filled with bananas, homemade gluten free banana bread, and Aussie Bites from Costco.
I took the same approach for shorter rides at times, too depending how I felt. If I was a little hungry I took a banana with me and the Active Hydration–not so hungry, I took only the Active Hydration.
This sounds like a lot of calories and fluid and your needs may be different. There’s a chart here that might help: http://osmonutrition.com/how-much-do-i-need-to-drink/
Previously, I was using Skratch and First Endurance EFS. I like both of those as well, the Osmo isn’t quite as tangy as EFS. I wasn’t using any particular recovery mix but I have used Isopur and Hammer at times in the past. I preferred the flavor of the Acute Recovery to those.
I would rather eat something delicious than something that’s not and Osmo’s approach gets me there. I learned some important lessons during the trial, too. Taste and flavor is an individual thing, so if you’re struggling to find something palatable to drink during or after your training sessions I would encourage you to try Osmo. If you’re simply training a lot, I encourage you to not skimp on the hydration.
As far as the Acute Recovery goes, there’s probably a lot of ways to get to the same place, but almond milk, ice and the mix is really convenient.