And It All Makes Sense Now

It was a warm humid day (I believe in May) a few years ago. I was taking my friend Joe on his first century bike ride to prepare for his first BRAN. We were traversing from Vermillion to Lennox and then to Tea and back.

When we hit Lennox we both needed a break and some liquids. Joe grabbed a sports drink of some sort. Normally I would follow suit but something was pulling me away from the sports drink to something much more magical: Chocolate Milk.

I seriously thought Joe was going to gag as I downed a whole quart of chocolate milk that day. He thought for sure that I'd be the one suffering afterwards. However, my system held it down and I completed the 100 miles with ease. It was actually Joe who struggled over the last twenty miles and not I.

Although I haven't done it that many times, it wasn't the last time that I have put down some chocolate milk on a long ride. I never could understand why it went down so good or why it never seemed to have adverse effects. Of course, NOW it all makes sense thanks to a recent study.

I'm sure that you can Google "Chocolate Milk as a Sports Drink" and read until your hearts content, but below is an excerpt from WebMd. Problem is, now my secret weapon is out there for all to know. Chocolate milk is my weapon of choice! Drink up!

The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was small in scale; it was partially funded by the dairy industry. But dietitians say the study should help to counter the notion that high-tech, expensive supplements are better than whole foods when it comes to athletic performance. They also note that milk contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks can't match.

"[Milk] is a sports drink 'plus,'" Keith Ayoob, EdD, a registered dietitian and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tells WebMD. "It will supply you with things you need whether or not you're working out."

The study builds on findings that intense endurance exercise reduces the muscles' supply of stored glucose, or glycogen, a key source of fuel for exercise. To maximize glycogen replacement, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association recommend taking in a serving of carbohydrates within 30 minutes after a long and vigorous workout.