I am Penny Wilson, a PhD Registered Dietitian and athlete. My goal with this blog is to provide nutrition and lifestyle information that is easy to understand and that you can use.
I am Penny Wilson, a PhD Registered Dietitian and athlete. My goal with this blog is to provide nutrition and lifestyle information that is easy to understand and that you can use.
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question: My husband and I are middle-aged (46 and 49) athletes. This week we’re riding our bikes 45-50 miles every night to help meet our goal of riding the distance of the United States starting in Tallahassee, FL. We’re (virtually/pretend) somewhere in Texas right now, heading for San Diego, but we just ride around on the trails and country roads here in the Midwest.
Anywho, I’ve started using Hammer nutrition products from our local sports store. They really recommended them. The product I’m currently trying is a powder that I mix into my water that has fats, protein, and carbs and a little caffeine. It’s called Perpetuem, and is very tasty.
It’s all I’m supposed to eat our rides, no granola, no dried fruit, only this drink, even on century rides that take most the day.
I’ve used it twice and have noticed increased endurance, stamina, and, as far as I can tell, no ill side effects.
Any thoughts on this? Gloris
Hi Gloris,
Your ride sounds amazing! Perpetuem can be a good product as long as it works for you. When riding, you should shoot for about 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. If your GI tract doesn’t like that much, start scaling back to find what it will tolerate. Some protein (just a few grams) can help. You don’t really need fat when working out.
I’m not sure what you were using before, but adding in a drink like that will have the effects you mention. At this point, I wouldn’t add any other foods to it if it is working.
Hope that helps!
Penny