7 Nutrition Tips for Exercising in the Heat

With Cairns Ironman just around the corner, I'm deep into writing race nutrition plans for our athletes. This morning on Coffee & Questions I wanted to share with you some strategies to assist with training and racing in the heat.

7 Nutrition Tips for Exercising in the Heat

1. Heat Acclimatisation

Training in similar conditions to your event will help your body adapt to the heat. Your plasma volume will expand, your sweat rate will increase, and sodium lost in sweat will decrease.

2. Pre-Cooling Strategies

Before your race, using strategies to lower core body temperature can help. This includes: ice vests, ice slurpee/slushie, cold water immersion, menthol spray.

3. Sodium-Containing Drinks During Exercise

Electrolyte and sodium-containing drinks during exercise help replace electrolytes lost in sweat and support hydration status better than water alone.

4. Acute Sodium Loading

Hyperhydration protocol before exercise in the heat - consuming sodium before your race to retain extra fluid. This is particularly relevant for hot, long events like Ironman. Discuss with your Sports Dietitian before implementing.

5. Glycerol

Another hyperhydration strategy. Glycerol is a Group A supplement on the AIS Framework (specifically for hyperhydration in hot conditions). It can be used to store extra fluid in the body before a hot race.

6. Individualise Your Hydration Plan

Everyone sweats differently. Do Sweat Testing to understand your individual sweat rate and sodium losses - then tailor your hydration strategy accordingly.

7. Cooling During Exercise

On-course cooling strategies: pouring water over the head and neck, using ice from aid stations, and wearing cooling garments can all help manage core temperature during a hot race.

As always - practice any new strategies in training before race day. Never try anything new on race day!

If you need help developing a heat-specific race nutrition and hydration plan, book a consult with me here.