Entries RSSIf you like getting your carbs and calories from food rather than ultra-sweet sports drinks when you’re working out or playing hard, here’s a totally new product idea for you….Enlyten’s SportStrips. With no calories, no carbs, and no sugars, they are strictly for electrolyte replacement.
SportStrips work by absorption through your buccal mucosa (your mouth and inner cheek lining). You just slip one of the strips, which look a lot like those breath freshener strips, between your cheek and gum and let it dissolve. The advantage is that the electrolytes get absorbed into your bloodstream much quicker this way and bypass the digestive system completely. If you’ve ever gotten the belly ache on a long run or ride from drinking lots of hydration beverage, you’ll appreciate the advantage.
Aside from the science, I enoyed being able to drink plain, cold water when I was thirsty rather than forcing down a sports mix. The SportStrips take practically no room in a jersey pocket, so you can reduce the bulk of carrying dry powder along with you.
Enlyten SportStrips come in three flavors, orange, grape, and vanilla-berry. Enlyten recommends a pre-load of three to six strips, the same number while your active, and recovering with another three to six strips. That was too many for me and I like to recover with a yogurt-fruit smoothie (or a bucket of movie popcorn), but it was extremely convenient during my ride. It took a little getting used to the way the little plastic case opens and slipping out one or two of the strips, but I sure did like carrying that little tiny case! My only criticism was with the packaging - there were no instructions printed on there. Since someone shared a case with me, I had no idea how many strips to use until I visited the Enlyten website.
Enlyten SportStrips are available from the Enlyten website as well as major sporting goods and nutrition stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods and GNC. Three packets of 18 strips each are $9.99.
