The secret to performing your best in hot weather could be…slurpees?
Sound weird, but scientist from New Zealand recently discovered that athletes who drank an icy, sugary cup of slush before they worked out in hot temperatures were able to exercise longer and stay cooler.
Their study, which was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, found that participants who had a slushie before they ran on a treadmill in a hot room could run 20 percent longer, and kept their core temperature down.
Exercise physiologists have studied the effects of keeping athletes cold before they perform for a while. The method, know as pre cooling, is often performed in special cold chambers, or with ice-packed vests, which are expensive and unrealistic for everyday athletes. The slurpee technique could be the first low-cost, practical way to do it.
So, as the temperatures rise, and long workouts loom, a stop at the convenience store before you head out could keep you going longer.
Try it out, tell us what you think!
Check out the study.
Read the New York Times article about it.
