Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Tailwind Endurance Drink Mix Review


There are tons of drinks out there that help you recover some electrolytes that are lost during your runs.  Many people will not only carry their electrolyte drink, but energy gels or gummies as well.  I have read several articles about how mixing electrolyte drinks and energy (gels or gummies) can lead to upset stomachs and have even experienced it in some of my runs.  Tailwind Nutrition has a solution to that problem.

Tailwind was started by endurance athletes that were competing in ultra events.  The athletes were able to perform well for the first couple of hours, but about 4-6 hours into the race, they would start to develop stomach issues and leg cramping.   The drinks that they were taking were too sweet to drink for any extended amount of time.  The people at Tailwind did tons of research and combined fuel, hydration, and electrolytes into one convenient drink.

Say goodbye to sticky gels, bars, and chews and say hello to an easier way. Tailwind uses a glucose/sucrose blend of fuel that takes advantage of how our bodies absorb nutrients so your body can absorb everything easier. 

Tailwind drink mix dissolves completely when it comes into contact with water and is easy to clean up.  Some electrolyte drinks out there will leave a film or taste in your favorite bottle that will never go away.  With Tailwind, there is no film, lingering aftertaste or gooey mess.  Just a side note, if you leave warm drink mix in your bottle, it will smell funky after about a day.  It is easy to clean out though and there is no residual funky smell. 

So you may look at the packaging and see that there is no protein.  After tons of research, testing, and consulting with experts, it was determined that taking protein during exercise does not improve endurance, but it does increase the risk of GI distress.  Not only that, but the addition of protein can slow the absorption of carbohydrates that you need to rebuild your fuel (glycogen) supply.  That is why Tailwind left out the protein.  Tailwind is wheat, gluten, soy and dairy free too.

I got 5 single serve samples to test out.  I have had plenty of other drink mixes from other companies that are too sweet.  Tailwind was slightly sweet and refreshing.  The flavor was not overpowering, but wasn’t non-existent either.  I liked every flavor that I tried but my favorite was the Lemon.  They have an unflavored version and several caffeinated versions as well.  Using Tailwind is actually cheaper than gels too. 

You can get 7 single serve packs for $16.05 or get their bags.  The medium bags come with 30 servings (uncaffinated bags are $24.99 or $26.99 for the caffeinated).  The large bags come with 50 servings (uncaffinated bags are $34.99 or $37.99 for the caffeinated).  Each serving is 100 calories, 25 grams Carbs, and 25 grams of sugar.

Pros:
Great tasting
Don’t need electrolyte drinks and gels/gummies
Cheaper than buying everything separately
Easy to mix and clean up.

Tailwind’s Social Media Links:

I really liked the taste and convenience of the Tailwind drink mix.  It did supply me with plenty of fuel for my long runs without having to take electrolyte drinks and gels with me.  Having to take less with me is a great thing, especially on longer runs where I would have had to take 5+ gels with me.  I plan in using Tailwind drink mixes in my future races and found it useful in my trainings at various distances.  Give it a try and you will probably be a fan too.  Go to the Tailwinds website to purchase yours today.

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

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