Originally Posted by
SammyJ
I had to bargain with my Doctor about riding fasted. Bottom line, she wants me drinking Gatorade any time I ride.
I do seem to have a better ride when Gatorade is in my bottle, does it really act that fast?
Sammy - three questions...
By "fasted", do you mean you get up in the morning, skip breakfast except maybe for a cup or two of black coffee, and head out on your ride? This is the commonly accepted meaning of "fasted."
Why do you want to ride in a fasted state?
How long and hard are your rides?
Fasted riding, as described above, is done to train your body to use your fat stores rather than just carbs for energy at low-to-medium levels of exertion, thereby saving your glycogen stores for more intense parts of your ride. It's a gradual process. If you get up in the morning, eat your regular breakfast and then go for your ride, it's not a "fasted" ride. If you go out after breakfast and your ride is at a comfortable pace for an hour or two, you don't need additional calories, just water and in hot weather electrolytes.
Next time you speak with your doctor, ask her if she wants you to use Gatorade for the calories or for the electrolytes. If the latter, there are other options like Nuun tablets or a home brew using lite salt.