Focus Magazine of SWFL Swimsuit Heat Wave

Milk Mooove Over Sports Drinks By Chris Pouy With the hot days of summer come summer sports -- baseball, tennis, football practice -- both in the neighborhood and at camp. Before you send the kids out to practice or just for a long day of play in the sun learn to protect your kid against dehydration and sun sickness. Experts say that children age nine and up should drink at least 2 liters of fluids a day. With this said it is important to ensure that your kids are drinking fluids and this may mean doing a little research. You may be doing more harm then good when handing them a soda or “sports” drink. Getting them to drink plain water may be near impossible, and with experts saying that chocolate milk is the new go to for sports recovery drinks both you and your kids can win the dehydration battle. Sports drinks = Soda: More children and teenagers are drinking sports drinks like Gatorade and PowerAde, instead of soda. While that may sound like a good thing, new research from the University of Minnesota shows, in most cases, it’s not a better option. Many people see that a 20-ounce sports drink may have fewer calories than a soda, but it has more sugar and more sodium — and no nutritional value. Chocolate milk and Protein: Post-workout chocolate milk is beneficial because of its protein content. Every cup contains between eight and 11 grams of protein, ideally you’ll want to consume between 15 and 25 grams of protein after a workout, which equates to 500 to 750 ml of chocolate milk. Chocolate milk and Carbs: Turning to post-workout chocolate milk immediately following your lifting sessions is a smart move because of the types of carbohydrates it provides. CowWow contains only 22 grams of Carbohydrates. This sugar will cause a spike in insulin levels, driving the glucose molecules into the muscle tissue and replenishing the energy stores for your next workout. Without this insulin spike, you’re going to be looking at a slower recovery period, which could mean more time out of the gym. Calcium Content: Drinking post-workout chocolate milk is a smart move because of its calcium content. Calcium is one of the minerals that play a critical role in the “power stroke” – when the individual muscle fibers generate tension through a cross-bridge cycling pattern, causing contraction to take place. CowWow contains 40% of the daily intake needed for Calcium. Ideal to keep sugar low: On average, most “sport’s” drinks include close to ten teaspoons of added sugar. High sugar intake is one of the main contributing factors to obesity in the country. Some people choose a sport drink thinking it's the better choice.,. never knowing how sweet it really is. CowWow contains only six grams of added sugar, in teaspoon talk that equates to little over one teaspoon. www.cowwownow.com FOCUS of SWFL 2014 175

Focus Magazine of SWFL Swimsuit Heat Wave | Page 175