HYDRATE Freezer Popz

Simple and refreshing freezer pops to cool & hydrate

It’s that time of year. When outdoor training and activities ramp up, so do the temperatures.

If you’re like me, this time of year you also find yourself craving slushies, popsicles, and just about anything frozen.

But did you know there’s actually a biological reason your body craves these frozen treats? Ice, icy liquids, and slurries can be awesome tools to help your body regulate temperature.

Frozen and icy liquids can help with body temperature regulation in a couple of ways.

Obviously, when ice melts it turns into liquid, so it’s a great way to get in some fluids and help with your hydration levels. Staying hydrated is so important for your body, especially when you’re putting strain on it in the form of training and exercise.

If you’re a heavy sweater or live in a hot or humid region, staying in a state of “euhydration” should be a point of focus of your training and day-to-day food & beverage consumption.

Fail to do so and you could dig yourself into a hole, that will soon show in your perceived exhaustion (how hard it feels), as well as speed and power output (how well you perform).

But how do you know you’re hitting your hydration targets? One way is to monitor your urine color (lovely, I know, but effective!).

Another way to stay on top of your hydration targets is knowing your sweat rate and making sure you’re replacing what you lose during your workouts.

Frozen and icey foods and beverages can also act to lower your core body temperature, which can improve endurance and even increase your core temperature capacity.

So after suffering through some brutal hot and humid workouts throughout the past few weeks, it only made sense to put this to practice and mix up some homemade freezer pops.

But unlike most frozen desserts made with milk and cream, there’s no need to wait until after your workout to indulge in these treats. In fact, before may be the best time to have one (or a couple)!

There are numerous studies on the effect of consuming ice and ice slurries as a pre-exercise tactic, and the majority of these show a significant improvement on the ability to perform longer and stronger in the heat than athletes who drank just cold or room temperature liquids.

These HYDRATE freezer popz are made with :HYDRATE active hydration, my go-to pre-workout for running and shorter workouts.

A couple of these bad boys will have you primed to go hard even in extreme heat and humidity. So mix some up and keep them on-hand this summer as a pre OR post-workout functional treat.

Ingredients

• 1 serving of INFINIT Hydrate (or your go-to INFINIT Custom Fuel + Hydration blend)
• 16 oz of water
• 1/2 cup fresh berries and fruit

Instructions 

1. Find an ice pop mold (Don't have one? Instead, use a cup, cover with plastic wrap, and stick a wood popsicle stick through the middle of the wrap for a make-shift mold)
2. Mix one serving of INFINIT with 16 oz of water (use less water for a stronger, sweeter popsicle)
3. Rinse and then slice up the fresh fruit
4. Pour mixture into popsicle mold
5. Add a few pieces of fruit to each mold
6. Freeze for several hours until hardened
7. Chill out & enjoy!