Author: J. Hawthorne

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It hurts to let go of an old friend. You’ve spent so many years together and have shared amazing experiences along the way. More recently you’ve grown apart. These days it is tough to relate to your old friend. You’ve changed, and so has she.

The above statements aptly apply to my former workout buddy: Gatorade. I’ve chugged countless gallons of the stuff. There is no doubt that it has done its job admirably. I guess the problems lies in the fact I’ve been moving over to natural products. Many of the feats science pulls off today have already been achieved by nature. Often the natural route works better while being more in tune with human physiology.

Coconut water is nature’s sports drink. It has all the benefits that Gatorade has, plus a few tricks of its own.

First off, it replaces electrolytes in the body. Electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, are lost during workouts when you sweat. It is important to keep your levels up because these charged ions are used to regulate muscle contractions and nerve impulses. Your kidneys can have a tough time regulating the correct electrolyte concentrations.

Secondly, Zico contains naturally occurring carbohydrates. You need hydration to keep your workout going at maximum speed, but it won’t do you much good if you don’t have some extra fuel to burn.

Between the electrolytes, potassium, and carbohydrates, active muscles have everything that is necessary to function effectively.

So you may be wondering if Gatorade and Zico essentially do the same thing, why pay more for coconut water? The answer lies in the fact that PepsiCo also loads Gatorade with suspect additives. It contains artificial sugars, colouring, ester gum and brominated vegetable oil to name a few. In short, it is essentially sugar water with the useful ingredients you need to keep your muscles moving shoved in.

Coconut water isn’t very sweet but it has enough natural sweetening to make it pleasurable to drink. For those that like a little more bite, you can get versions with natural flavours added; some include: passion fruit, mango, pineapple, and tangerine. As drinks like Zico and O.N.E. are essentially pure coconut water, you don’t have to worry about additives that are bad for your health. Unlike sweet drinks that are acidic like Crystal Light, coconut water is pH balanced.

To me, it seems that Gatorade had a good thing going until more enlightened health freaks started realizing that it isn’t the only game in town. Natural substances aren’t patentable and this tends to scare big companies like PepsiCo away. It isn’t feasible to spend all that money promoting something that grows from the earth. A competitor can easily swoop in and offer the same thing for less. It becomes a commodity.

The only thing that bothers me about Zico is the price. This stuff is extracted from a coconut and last time I checked, they are pretty darn cheap. It may be that they need to crack open a number of coconuts to get enough water to make a drink product out of it.

Despite the fact that one serving costs around $1.80, I’m never going back to my old friend Gatorade. It isn’t particular cheap either. Gatorade has a ton of “cutting-edge science” and marketing hype on its side but at its core it is artificial sugar water. My new buddy is genuine.

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p90x-recoveryP90X is no joke. It takes persistence and perseverance to get the most out of the program. People flock to P90X when they see the quick results of others but fail to think about the sacrifices those people made to get there. The problem is that the routine takes a lot out of you.

As a man with a physically demanding job I need to be at my best post-workout just as much as pre-workout. Dealing with a sore body at work due to an overzealous workout hampered with my day too often. That was until I decided to do something about it.

First off you should know that I’m not a supplement head. Typically all I take during the course of a day is whey protein powder, a multi-vitamin and fish oil.

Eating a balanced, high-protein diet is of course paramount to success with P90X. I was eating as well as my schedule would allow but still felt like a needed an extra bump post-workout. For this reason I decided to give the Results and Recovery Formula a spin.

The formula comes in either packets or a tub. Personally I went with the tub as I work out at home. You get a 30-day supply based on a 5-6 day/week workout schedule. Serving size is two scoops of powder per 12 oz. of water. A blender isn’t necessary. You can use either a drink mixer or a spoon to make a serving for yourself.

Before the formula was changed the drink tasted like an orange Creamsicle. The current version tastes more like Tang orange drink. I found the older version to be a little tastier. Then again flavour isn’t a priority to me when it comes to health supplements. I wasn’t drinking the stuff on the merit of its great taste from the start. It’s for quicker recoveries and bulking up.

Here’s how it works.

After an intense workout your muscles are depleted of glycogen. In order to encourage your muscles to repair themselves as quickly as possible Results and Recovery Formula replenishes the glycogen. Both simple and complex carbs are used to achieve the optimum balance.

A high Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) blend then provides the protein and amino acids needed to rebuild muscle tissue. On top of that, the formula includes the right balance of vitamins and anti-oxidants to reduce soreness and speed up recovery.

Is it Worth the Price?

After working out with the recovery formula for several weeks I can confirm that delivers what it promises. I don’t tend to feel spent after workouts like I used to. Although there is no way to tell it isn’t just a placebo effect, somehow I doubt it. The formula is backed by scientific studies mentioned here. It is a little hard now to relate to how I felt before because I’m now accustomed to the energy bump and now it seems “normal.”

P90X Results and Recovery Formula is well worth it if you are eating well and have the extra cash to guarantee the best results. Now that I’ve experienced its benefits, it would be hard to go back to pumping iron without it.