On Being Prepared for Your High Endurance Outings -
In addition to getting your skills & gear in top condition, you need to get your body fueled up for your high endurance outings. Staying hydrated and well fed is critical to riding in the heat, hiking at altitude, or just about any other high adventure outing you can think of. It's not uncommon to be exercising 7 hours or more, so this is important!
Everyone, Scouts and adults alike, should pay special attention to what they're eating the two days before your high adventure outing, with extra special attention to breakfast the day of the outing. For the two days before the outing, concentrate on eating complex carbohydrates (whole grain breads, pastas, etc.) - this is called 'carb loading'! Skip fatty foods (burgers, most meats and oils) as they are harder to digest. Drink lots of liquids. Avoid caffeine (colas, coffee, etc.) as it tends to dehydrate you. The morning of the outing be sure to eat a healthy breakfast. I'd suggest something like a whole grain cereal & skim milk, whole grain toast with a bit of butter, fresh fruits (esp bananas for their potassium), and sugar free fruit juice. Oatmeal (not the instant kind) is a good substitute for the cereal. Bring trail snacks & a lunch high in complex carbs, with some protein. Foods like Northern Tier's Hudson Bay bread (oat flour, honey, nuts, & butter), GORP (Good O'le Rasins & Peanuts), apples, bananas, dried fruits, jerky, cheese sticks, and whole grain crackers are good. It's important to bring several thousand calories in food value and good practice to eat every 30 minutes or so (finger foods are best for most mid-day meals).
Staying hydrated will keep you cool, and strong - you've already lost ~25% of your peak strength when you are just beginning to feel thirsty! Drink more than normal the day before the outing, and be doubly sure to drink lots with breakfast the day of your outing. Bring several water bottles and/or hydration packs so you don't run out on the trail. In hot weather, a good technique is to drink a quart of water before you start the outing, even if you're not thirsty. It's also necessary to replenish the electrolytes lost in your sweat. These salts help your nervous system to function. You will tire quickly if your electrolyte levels drop too far. One minimum precaution is to add a level teaspoon of table salt to a quart of water to replace the lost sodium. Eating 'banana chips' will help keep your potassium levels up. When exercising, you'll need at least a quart of 'electrolyte water' per hour so be sure to bring enough bring enough salt & 'banana chips' for your outing. Another technique is to use an electrolyte replacement drink (Gatorade, Cytomax, etc.). In addition to the sodium provided by table salt, these drinks provide potassium (remember the bananas?) that further aids the functioning of your nervous system. They also provide carbs, though Gatorade uses simple sugars for most of its carbs. It isn't practical to bring enough of these drinks in bottled form for a long ride or hike, so get them in powdered form. Powdered Gatorade is available at many local markets. Powdered Cytomax is available at local cycling shops.
And don't forget, during a hot weather outing getting wet by dumping fresh water over you is another time honored and proven technique to keeping cool! So when you stop to fill your water bottles, feel free to use a bottle on yourself - you'll feel better and it's fun!
This page revised August 2, 2007