My 63-Year-Old Athletic Challenge

Starting in April this past year, I have been following a rigorous conditioning program in preparation for ski season. It was an early start, but one thing about skiing is that although there is most definitely a skill aspect to it, there is also a large strength and aerobic part to it.  At age 63, I was, truthfully, not sure how I would be able to handle this level of conditioning. However, I can report that, after about 22 weeks, this non-gifted athlete has gotten more fit, strong, and mobile than I ever thought possible. I can do things in the gym that exceed what I could do at age 35. Which is good because, in a quixotic lunge for a new challenge, I will be doing the masters ski racing program this year at Park City. Note: I have never raced in my life, and some of my fellow participants have medals. Yes, those kinds of medals. It is that kind of town.

I’m not 30 years old anymore. This new challenge requires me to be smart about how I go about this. Following a solid science-backed program is the first step. Then, paying a lot of attention to recovery, nutrition and hydration is key.

Hydration and the Replacement of Electrolytes

Hydration, and the replacement of electrolytes, has been one of my big learnings of this last year. It has turned my recovery time from a couple of hours to a few minutes. What I did not understand was how important replacing electrolytes was, and that if I was drinking a lot of straight water I was actually contributing to the problem by diluting what electrolytes I still had. Who knew? Apparently, a lot of people besides me, because once I diagnosed the issue, a number of my athlete friends came to me with the same prescription: electrolytes in the water are essential. Before I properly understood how to rehydrate and replace my essential electrolytes, I would be woozy after a hard workout, brain feeling sluggish, and all around not my usual sparkly best.

As I explored the topic, I discovered there were a number of hydration products on the market, from sugary sports drinks to other not-so-great additives, that would actually have a negative impact on my recovery. What was the best combination of minerals that I needed? What I found, and what pretty much everyone told me, was that the best electrolyte mix was LMNT. The more I looked into this, the more it seemed that I had uncovered a cult — people in the know were fanatical in their devotion to LMNT. 

After a few months of using it, hello, I am a full-on enthusiast. There is so much negative information about how bad sodium is for us, but as Dr. Scott Sherr told us on the SuperAge podcast, not only are very few people sodium sensitive, if we don’t have some sodium in our water, we will have a hard time hydrating. 

When I drink water with LMNT, it seems to stay with me longer

I have also noticed, and this is just me, that when I drink water with LMNT, it seems to stay with me longer, as it seems it requires less water to stay hydrated, and thus fewer trips to the bathroom. This could be because hydration is much more efficient with LMNT in the water. This is just speculation, but it makes sense to me.

When do I use it? I’ll have some first thing in the morning. In the gym, I’ll drink about 20 oz in a 90-minute workout, after which I’ll feel fine. In the sauna, of course, and now also when I go for a hike. This was another interesting finding, that having LMNT in my water bottle helps with elevation adjustment. When I would go up to 11,000 ft, even though I am acclimated to living at 7,000ft, it could be a struggle — headaches, not feeling so great — but now I am fine.

We are capable of amazing things, but we need to be smart about it. Oftentimes the things that are holding us back may not be what we thought they were. 

We were able to grab a special offer from LMNT just so our readers could test it out for themselves. Go to DrinkLMNT.com/AGEIST and receive a free 8-serving sample pack with your purchase. Let us know if it’s had the impact on you that it’s had on us.