Published 7/14/21
When you take on a grueling obstacle course race or put in a lot of time training, one thing is consistent: your need to hydrate, rehydrate, and then hydrate some more. I recently took Liquid I.V. out for some spins to test it out and thought I’d offer a product review here.
I first tried it out during a 12-mile trail run covering 2,000 feet of elevation gain on a “cool” 88-degree 40-ish % humidity Phoenix morning in the desert. Oh, did I mention by morning I really mean at 4:30 IN the morning? I really hate running when it’s super hot out, but I hate running on treadmills more. So, we go before the sun comes up to have a good chunk of running time accomplished before the sun decides to burn us to death.
Even more reason to hydrate, and hydrate well.
I also tried it after a 5-mile run in similar conditions where I took no hydration with me on my run, and drank it during the day while working at a desk (basically, resting activity).
To read a related post for a product review of Nuun Hydration, click here.
PERFORMANCE AND TASTE:
This does get five-stars for performance. I felt that I was being hydrated quickly in all conditions: during activity, after activity, and no activity. This time of year, it’s not uncommon to chug a ton of water here in Phoenix. I felt like I was able to stay consistently hydrated throughout the day regardless of the amount of activity I had put forth. I didn’t find myself chugging water to “catch up” on hydration, if that makes sense.
The taste is a different story. While my husband liked it, I found it to be an acquired taste. On my 12-mile run, I diluted one packet into 24 ounces of water (as opposed to the recommended 16). I found it to have an almost syrup-like taste, personally. My husband thought it was just the sodium (the Liquid I.V. “hydration” products contain both mined salt and sodium citrate.)
I should note that we do not add a ton of salt to our food unless a recipe calls for it, and we tend to eat pretty clean most of the time… so our salt tolerance is not as high as your average person’s.
For after my activity and while drinking it during the day as I worked, I added one packet to a 40-ounce Hydro Flask further diluting the product. It was less syrupy-tasting and much more tolerable. The taste grew on me as I drank it in the overly diluted form. (I tried the passion fruit flavor in all instances). My husband likes the lemon-lime flavor.
LIQUID I.V. FEATURES:
- Non-GMO
- Gluten Free
- Soy Free
- Dairy Free
- 2-3x More Hydration than Water Alone
- No Artificial Ingredients
- 3x the Electrolytes of Sports Drinks
- 5 Essential Vitamins: B3, B5, B6, B12 and Vitamin C
- Cellular Transport Technology
One thing that makes Liquid I.V. different from its competitors (and there are many), is their “Cellular Transport Technology.” What exactly is that? According to their website, CTT “uses a precise ratio of sodium, glucose and potassium to create an osmotic force that allows water to be delivered to the bloodstream earlier on in the digestive system.”
So in normal person words: they have a formula that breaks down and is absorbed super quick into your bloodstream allowing rapid hydration to occur.
CONSENSUS:
I probably won’t be making the switch to using Liquid I.V. during my activities, but I’ll use it here and there throughout the day post-race or training to bring my hydration quickly back up to speed. I do like that the company focuses on sustainability and donating their product to those around the world. This is important because 3-4 million people perish per year due to water-related diseases. To date, they have donated more than 11 million servings globally. This deserves a big fat high five.
What’s your go-to hydration drink of choice?
