Gotta Get Your GU

For starters, check out Chris K’s outfit for his BQ marathon this weekend. Dude has some seriously good taste. Go over and wish him luck. Get your own mojo sticker HERE.

Moving on. I was sent a tube the other day. Not a tube of KY Jelly (although they are having a Valentine’s Day special) or an inner tube. Not a tube of Crest or a feeding tube (thankfully I don’t have one yet).

A plain, white tube of mystery.

Can you find the tube in the picture below? (Please avoid comments on the hair. I’m post yoga and massage and it’s negative 20 outside and my kids are on day #2 snow day. Yes, I’ve let myself go).

Anyway, I was advised that there are only 26 such tubes in the entire world. This is starting to sound very CIA-ish.

And, I hold one in my possession. In my shirt, right by my nipple. I realize I put myself at risk by talking about the tube openly. My house might be ransacked tonight. Just know the tube is in a safety deposit box and I’m not telling which bank.

I like to imagine Harish sitting in his room in Calcutta with the same tube. Perhaps, Cho Hee lies on her bed in Seoul gazing at her tube. Maybe Gustaf  sips schnapps in Stockholm while contemplating his tube (that’s what she said).

The contents of the tube? The newest product from GU Energy. The famous GU Brew Electrolyte Tablets. This product will not be available to consumers until late March 2011.

Let me tell you more. But, first let me get the tube out of my shirt.

GBET (GU Brew Electrolyte Tabs, I like to call them Gee-Bets) are specifically designed to provide athletes with the electrolytes they need to excel on their longest workouts. The effervescent (big word = fizzy) tablets allow the body to retain optimal electrolyte balance without providing unneeded calories. The tablets are flavored with Stevia, a natural sweetener derived from the Stevia leaf. Tablets will be initially available in Orange, Lemon Lime and Peach Tea. Each 4.6 gram tablet has 10 calories and is meant to mix with 16 oz. of water. The retail price will be $6.50 per 12 serving tube.

Course if you like to use your sport’s drink to make up for calories lost while working out, this might not be the choice for you.

Check out the comparison between GBETs, Nuun and Cambelback:

So, I tried this bubbly brew. Since I can’t run far enough to matter, I used it during my long pussy posse water run (70 minutes) and during a tough workout on my bike trainer. Sometimes I think it’s difficult to gauge how well a product is working, especially if the workout is under 4 hours. I will say that my energy never waned and I kept well hydrated. I wasn’t a huge fan of the flavor (orange) cause it reminded me a bit of baby aspirin. I think I would love the lemon lime or peach, however.

Bottom line is that the stats speak for themselves. When you are aware of how much electrolyte replacement you will need during each hour of exercise, you can figure out if GBETs are going to give you what your body requires.  Especially during particularly sweaty workouts where you’re losing lots of valuable electrolytes.

Although individual concentrations will vary widely, one pound of sweat contains approximately 80-100mg of potassium and 400-700mg of sodium. The average person will lose anywhere between .5 and 5 lbs of sweat per hour (source). A good way to determine what you lose is to weigh yourself before and after a workout. Amounts will vary with weather and exertion, obviously.

Do the math and see what works for you.

The nice thing is that GBETs are sweetened naturally, so no artificial stuff there. The price is comparable to Nuun and much cheaper than Camelbak. Also, GBETs have no sodium benzoate – a chemical/preservative in processed foods that has been linked to possible health dangers.

Off to shower and gaze at my tube,

SUAR