Winter Training Series: Cold Weather Hydration Guide

Earlier this month, we started a series sharing our top nutrition tips for winter training. This week, as part two of our winter training series, I wanted to share my top tips for hydrating during your off-season (hint: warm it up!)

I hear from athletes all the time who find it a bit trickier to chug fluids in the cold and then tend to way under-hydrate. My favorite trick is to turn your hydration into a warm delight to warm yourself from the inside out.

So, here's the lowdown on Part 2: hydrating during cold weather.

Warm up those drinks!

Warm Hydration Drinks

Whether you're braving a chilly workout or you just want a delicious fall beverage, Flow Formulas Apple Cider Endurance Drink Mix is a staple this year. With strong hints of cinnamon and allspice, this delicious drink warmed up gives me a little bit extra comfort while I am out there working hard in the colder temperatures. My other go-to for warm hydration is LMNT Chocolate Caramel that makes a fantastic warm hydration drink.

Chocolate Recovery Drinks

And after a solid session, nothing hits the spot like warming up and refueling. If you're into post-training chocolate cravings like me, I've got a couple of winners: Tailwind Recovery Chocolate or SwissRX Chocolate Mint. Warm up some milk, mix in the recovery goodness, give it a good whisk, and voila – the tastiest winter beverage to keep that recovery train rolling with carbs and protein to kickstart the rebuild.

How to Store a Warm Beverage

Insulated Winter Bottles

Your first step is to grab an insulated bottle. I'm a big fan of the BIVO Insulated Aluminum bottles. The flow of water is fantastic, they are indusctrubalbe, and still super light. Your more affordable option is the Polar Breakaway Insulatated bottle with 24oz of capacity the insulation on this bottle is amazing and they are only $13.60 (save 20% today).

Insulated Winter Hydration Packs

Checkout this Winter Hydration Pack with extra insulation from USWE it is amazing when Nordic Skiing, but I use it for Backcountry Alpine Skiing and it is amazing - it stores 10L of gear and comes with a 2L Blatter.

You may be wondering, how do I store something warm in a bottle or vest while I’m out running or riding in the cold? Well check this out: my personal favorite, MXXY.

MXXY is a brand new way to think about storing your fluids, with two compartments, you can have water in one and your warmed beverage in the other, and the best part is, MXXY is designed to handle these temperatures (minimum is 32°F and maximum is 140°F)

MXXY also fits in most hydration vests in place of their original bladder, and the dual compartment makes it easy so you don’t have to choose between plain water and your favorite fall/winter drink! And hey, no need to go all out and boil your fluid – just warm it up a bit.

Stay toasty!