How does Active Root ginger make you feel better during exercise?

The ginger in Active Root can help contribute towards a normally functioning settled stomach and prevent bloating. Studies have shown that up to 90% of athletes experience some form of gastric discomfort during exercise, whether it’s pre-race nerves before, feeling sick during the event or bloating afterwards. (De Oliveira & Jeukendrup, 2013).

Active Root contains a compound called gingerol which is a relative of the compounds found in chilli peppers and turmeric. It has been suggested that gingerol can contribute to soothing the stomach by relaxing the muscles in the gut, so that stomach contents are released into the small intestine. It may also have a calming effect, so it helps get rid of excess gas, thus reducing bloating and stomach discomfort. The ginger that Active Root uses has been specially selected because of its high gingerol ratio.

How much ginger?

Research states that it's safe to consume up to 5g (5000mg) of powdered ginger per day.

All Active Root drinks contain 204mg of ginger root extract per serving, Gel Mix contains 102mg per serving.and Energy Chews contain 140mg per cube. 

Many peer reviewed scientific studies have suggested up to 5000mg of daily ginger dosage may help alleviate stomach discomfort and contribute to normal gut function.

Depending on exertion levels we recommend drinking one 500-750ml bottle of Active Root drink per hour, up to 3 servings of Gel Mix OR 6 Energy Chews. Doing this will help keep your stomach balanced and allow you to perform your best. 

How much fuel do you need?

The body needs 80-90g of carbohydrate per hour during high intensity exercise. The body’s ability to process this depends on the type of carbohydrate and how it is absorbed. For example, the small intestine can only absorb 60g of glucose per hour. So, if your fuel source only contains glucose, you will only process 66% of the recommended hourly amount. Sugars such as maltodextrin and glucose also have a high glycemic index and are more likely to cause spikes in blood sugar levels.

How is Active Root Fuel Better?

All Active Root products use high quality unbleached natural cane sugar as the main fuel source. Unbleached cane sugar is a natural disaccharide which is made up of two carbohydrate types - 50% glucose and 50% fructose. At a molecular level glucose and fructose are absorbed differently in the intestine - research has proven that by combining these two carbohydrates types together you can actually increase the amount of calories absorbed by your body by up to 40% compared to just glucose. This means you can provide your working muscles with extra fuel.

Unbleached cane sugar has a lower glycemic index than pure glucose or maltodextrin and is comparable to bananas and dates. This helps to provide steadier fuel delivery with fewer peaks and troughs in your blood sugar levels.

Regular Active Root Sports Drink contains 33g of cane sugar per 500ml drink. Active Root Electrolite contains 8g per 500ml drink, Gel Mix 24g per 37.5ml serving and Energy Chews 36g per 6 chews. By combining our sports drinks and gels together you can get 80-90g of carbs per hour giving you the energy your muscles need to function.

Guarana - Naturally Caffeinated Gel Mix

Active Root Gel Mix Guarana and Ginger flavour contains 85mg of caffeine per 25g serving.

The caffeine we use is completely natural and comes from ground guarana seeds.

We use guarana as it is a natural source of caffeine. Each guarana berry contains up to 5x as much caffeine compared to a coffee bean.

Gel Mix Guarana and Ginger is perfect for giving you an extra boost during training and racing. We like to use it in the second half of a marathon or ultra as it can help give a '2nd wind'. We also use to sharpen up before a 10k running race.

How do Active Root drinks help keep you optimally hydrated?

Our sports drinks are an isotonic solution that is formulated to help enhance your hydration levels. All our drinks contain either 400mg or 800mg of sea salt per 500ml serving. Sea salt delivers essential sodium to the blood stream and trace minerals that aid electrolyte balance.

Hydration plays an important role in the Active Root Balance, Fuel, Hydrate formula. Taking on fuel in liquid form aids effective absorption of glucose and fructose, helping deliver vital energy to the body. Drinking balancing ginger in a liquid form ensures it reaches the gut and is more easily absorbed. Therefore the Active Root Balance, Fuel and Hydrate formula works in harmony with you body to support your performance.

Why it's important to avoid dehydration during exercise

Athletes undertaking activity sweat 400mg of salt per hour and up to 1100mg/l in extreme heat and exertion.[1]. In the Active Root nutrition range, we use 800mg per ElectroLite+ serving, 400mg per Sports Drink serving and 100mg per 50ml gel. Combining these two nutrition sources together ensures you get enough salt per hour of exercise. Check out our How / When to Use for more guidance on this.

When the body is dehydrated, electrolyte levels become unbalanced, leading to reduced performance. Dehydration not only means that you have a greater chance of being hampered by cramping, queasiness and heat stroke, but your physical performance will also deteriorate. This is because decreased blood volume can lead to reduced cardiac output and muscle contraction. It's actually far more common for performance to become hindered by dehydration than a lack of fuel.

Salt attracts fluid, so the more salt that's in your bloodstream (within the usage range above), the higher your blood volume. A higher blood volume decreases the amount of effort your heart has to do. As a result, it doesn’t have to beat as fast to move the same amount of blood through your body. The result is that exercise feels easier

[1] Nutrition for Sport and Exercise (Dunford and Doyle, 2015)

Electrolytes - Sea Salt - Natural Trace Minerals

The sea salt in Active Root comes from the Black Sea. Mainly containing sodium and chloride, it also contains trace minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc. These trace minerals provide elements of the electrolytes in their natural form, aiding hydration, stopping muscle weakness, and reducing cramp.