No, don’t panic. I’ve not gone off and started a meal replacement diet. I’m still very much a proponent of people learning to eat well and healthily – yes a meal replacement diet can help if you need to drop weight, but (and it’s a big one), once you go back to bad habits, it’ll all pile on again.
This is actually about the other string to the Herbalife bow, their sports range. Specifically, four products: 24 Rebuild Strength, 24 Formula 1 Sport, 24 Hydrate, and the newest addition, 24 Restore. With brand ambassadors such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Nile Wilson and an array of triathletes, runners, squash players and boxers, using these sees you in very good company.
24 Rebuild Strength is intended for post workout to help the body recover from exercise and to help build muscle. As I’ve mentioned before and if you’ll forgive a very basic science lesson, muscle tissues undergo tiny (teeny tiny microscopic) stretches tears during exercise. To help fix these the body needs protein, specifically the amino acids within protein. Athletes, gym goers, runners like me, often get these from protein shakes as they are an instant replenishment and help the body recover from what we’ve just put them through.
If you want a little more science on the importance of protein/amino acids, this is a pretty good article, that saves me writing it all out.
Rebuild is a blend of amino acids and proteins: milk protein isolate, l-glutamine, whey protein isolate, their core blend of amino acids (l-leucine, valine and iso-leucine) and calcium caseinate, as well as a small hit of carbohydrate and vitamins and minerals for good measure.
The protein blend is designed to release into your body slowly, so that after an initial hit, I’m presuming that the straight amino acids are designed to be taken by the body immediately and the more complex proteins, the caseinate and isolates, are digested and broken down more slowly. But please, don’t quote me on that.
As an effective protein delivery it was great – my DOMS were less than without anything and probably better than some of the shakes I’ve had in the past, particularly after a heavy weights session. Flavour and texture were, well, ok. A light chocolate flavour, not very creamy or heavy, palatable, but you wouldn’t necessarily seek it out for a flavour hit.
The 24 Formula 1 Sport is probably the one that I had the most issue with. It describes itself as a meal replacement, specifically, I presume for weight loss, as each portion made up with skimmed milk is only 170 calories.
However, it also works well, again, as a protein shake. In my case, I tend to have long gaps during the day between meals. So when I hit the gym, often I’m starving – not just peckish, really really hungry. Rather than go without, it’s actually better for you (and for weight loss) to have a little something, and this hits the spot perfectly. One of these before a weights session, spin class or run, and there’s enough to just fill me up a touch, and to keep that protein available to my body.
Though it contains fewer carbohydrates than the Rebuild, it also contains a lot more vitamins and minerals, so would work just as well for an overnight protein fuel, or as a recovery shake, though it won’t have the slow release that the Rebuild does.
Obviously, made up with milk and vanilla cream in flavour, this is far creamier than its chocolatey counterpart. It still has that ‘protein shake’ after taste, but overall blends really well.
Hydrate, as the name would suggest, is there to hydrate your system – the body doesn’t just lose water when we sweat, we also lose electrolytes and a lot of salt. It’s why when I’m in full training mode, I’ll put salt on everything – oh and I blame it for my margarita obsession too.
As a runner, Hydrate was always going to be a massive benefit. I can hit the gym 6 times a week, so by the time I hit the last training day, my body has been consistently losing nutrients the whole time. I sweat a lot and I work hard – ask any of my gym bunny mates. I’ll come out of that spin session hot, red faced and soaked with sweat but with a grin on my face. I’m beginning to wonder about these sado-masochistic tendencies when it comes to exercise.
Sometimes when I’m on a distance run, if I’ve not been hydrating as much as I should, or after a heavy training week, I’ll use something like hydrate to fix me. It’s incredible sometimes the difference it can make, it’s like waking up – you’re suddenly bright, alert and with it.
The bonus to hydrate is, unlike some other hydration drinks, there’s no sugar, no extra calories, it’s just flavour, salts and electrolytes – 15 calories in the whole thing. Given I’m working my way down to my training weight, it’s perfect.
The flavour is strong tangerine citrus, but not overly so – and the salts are barely detectable (unlike some others I’ve tried and thrown away). Hydrate? Yes it does.
24 Restore was for me, probably the best thing in this entire package. But I didn’t realise when I first opened it. A little bottle filled with capsules, brand new and only now available in the UK, I had no idea what an eye opener it would be.
Some times when I’ve done a very long run, when I’ve done an intense gym session, I’m exhausted. Not just tired, not just a bit dozy, exhausted. My brain won’t function properly (I call it runners’ brain), my dyspraxia kicks in – it’s almost like I’m drunk. I’ll be tired, cranky and behaving like a two year old.
Sleep will fix that, no doubt about it, but in the morning I’ll get those aches and pains that say I’ve been working hard. And trying to drag yourself out of bed when every limb aches is bloody hard.
Restore is designed to reduce inflammation in the muscles that causes DOMS, boost your immune system and help recovery. Vitamins A, C, E, calcium, turmeric root, elderberry and amla fruit all combine in this little capsule. And I know that it mentions antioxidants and free radicals and that’s all disputed by scientists. But, and maybe it’s psychosomatic, but it works.
A heavy training session, I’m exhausted, I know the morning is going to hurt. One of these into my system before bed and dammit, I’m almost perky when I wake up. I don’t mind admitting, I’m going to be restocking on these.
I’ve not tried the whole range, but there are some useful bits and pieces available for the gym goer, runner, and the professional athlete.
And as for the Restore? No, I’m not sharing.
These items were received from Herbalife as part of a review.