NUUN: Hydration in Winter is more than water.

Hydration = water + electrolytes.

Proper hydration means giving your body adequate amounts of water in proportion to electrolyte replacement. While many winter athletes have a refined fuel regimen, very few have put the same thought into a hydration regime. Nuun’s recommendation for optimal performance and safety on the slopes starts with proper hydration before you even put on your puffy jacket!
Staying on top of hydration may be even more important for winter athletes. In the cold you feel all of the same negative effects on performance, but dehydration in a winter environment can quickly lead to hypothermia, AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) at elevation, and  increased chance of frostbite. Hydration is the key to staying out longer and staying safer in a winter environment.

Dylan takes a photo of Chad's Nuun Tea Thermos in Changping Valley, China

When its cold outside you just don’t have the triggers associated with thirst. Your body is working hard and sweat evaporates quickly in cold, dry air so you don’t have that sweaty workout feeling to drive you to your Lemon Lime or Strawberry Lemonade Nuun. Most folks have a hard time drinking plain water even in summer so Nuun’s light flavors ensure better hydration by enticing you to drink more when its cold outside. Some Nuun fans like Dylan Johnson and Chad Kellogg like to drink it hot! They take their ‘Nuun Tea’ of all flavors on multiple day treks and first ascents all over the world.

There is also a situation that is unique to cold weather that can make or break your performance, but its tricky… not triple flip in the half-pipe tricky, but let us explain….

Holly at the Eagle Glacier summer training facility outside Anchorage AK.

We all know that when you sweat you loose fluids. Normally your body would register that you are loosing fluid and tell you to ‘drink Nuun!’ and to stop the kidneys from getting rid of water; in other words, ‘no more yellow snow!’ You probably also know that your body decreases blood flow to the your extremities when its cold outside, it wants to hold all that heat in while you are on the chair lift! So here is the tricky part; all of that blood has rushed away from your extremities to your core to keep you toasty so there is more fluid than normal in your core. When this happens your body and brain don’t register that you have lost any fluid! You could be having the best ski run of your life, and obviously you are working hard, but you still don’t feel thirsty! Whoops. It won’t be long before your performance suffers. Just ask Holly Brooks a Yellowstone Supertour winner and 2010 winter Olympian in Nordic Skiing. She suffered from dehydration that put her into the ER before she found Nuun!

Sean on an expedition in Antarctica. Can you snowboard an iceberg?!

You actually absorb more fluid with Nuun than with water or a sports drink that has sugar and carbohydrates. Nuun doubles the amount of water your body actually absorbs to promote proper bodily balance for performance and safety. Just talk to Sean Busby, one of our ambassadors who is a pro big mountain snowboarder. Sean drinks Grape Nuun from a hydration pack on his backcountry adventures.

Nuun is used best before heading out into the cold, and then used throughout the day while training, touring, or riding the slopes. By loading up on fluid as efficiently as you can you are topping off the system for that next run down the mountain.

Nuun’s  portable tube is perfect for your pack or jacket, and used during a mid mountain rest, or break at the bottom- whether you only have a quick glass of water from the base area, you have a hydration belt for Nordic adventures, or you wear a hydration pack for big mountain adventures, Nuun can go where you go, just don’t melt any yellow snow for your pack!

5 TIPS TO ACHIEVE YOUR PERSONAL BEST ON OR OFF THE WHITE STUFF:

Start Out Hydrated to Stay Hydrated

Two hours before your exercise drink 16-20 oz.

30-minutes before drink 8-16 oz.

Each 15 minutes during performance drink 4-6 oz.

Know Your Sweat Rate and Replenish for Water Lost

Pre-weigh in for a baseline.

Post-weigh in to determine body water lost.

Consume 20-24 oz of water with Nuun for each pound lost.

Have a Hydration Plan

Use your sweat rate log to prepare your hydration plan in advance of your exercise or event, and keep clothing minimum necessary for protection.

Prevent Hyponatremia

Use Nuun if you are exercising more than one hour.

Drink 16 oz of Nuun for each hour of exercise.

By simply replacing electrolytes you will prevent hyponatremia.

*Most Important: Have FUN out there!

-The Nuun Team