“Athletes need special drinks to replace K”—& Other Sports Performance Myths

Artist extraordinaire James Grasdal is putting the finishing touches on the 13th book in the Superman Duffy comic series—MYTHCONCEPTIONS. Which, you may have guessed has a little something to do with common “myths.” I love myths! So for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge, I’m going to “bust” as many of them as I can—every day (except Sundays) on the blog, throughout April.

Not familiar with the A to Z Challenge? Get the details here, and then hang on, because I’m about to blow your mind with my myth-inspired posts.

P.S. Comment on the blogs throughout the month for a chance to WIN a complete set of the Superman Duffy comics, including lucky #13, MYTHCONCEPTIONS.)

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MYTH: Athletes need special drinks to replace low potassium (K) levels.

I’m always looking for ways to increase my personal best on the track and field team—especially if it means beating my arch nemesis Lightning. I’ve researched this kind of stuff and I can tell you with confidence, this is a myth.

Tiredness among athletes can happen for many causes, but low potassium (K) levels is not among them. When potassium levels are low, your kidneys and sweat glands conserve Potassium so well that a deficiency is rare. Our bodies are cool, right?

And that’s not the only sports performance myth I’ve busted for today’s blog.

The idea that you should load up on carbohydrates before a race is absolutely not true. Research shows there is no evidence that carb-loading has any impact on performance in races less than 90 minutes—and if you’re s short distance runner like me, chances are that spaghetti is sitting like lead in your stomach.

Also, contrary to popular myth, supplements are not needed to maximize performance. In fact, you can get all of the nutrients you need—whether you’re an athlete or not—from a well- balanced diet.  Here’s an article that tells you the 11 nutrients your body needs and the common foods that have them—including canola oil, which is a great source of the anti-oxidant, Vitamin E.

Okay, so maybe “K” for Potassium was a bit of a stretch (points for creativity?), but as we delve deeper into the alphabet, finding letter-appropriate myths gets harder! Don’t worry—I’m on the job!

See you tomorrow for the letter “L”.

~ Chase Superman Duffy

P.S. Comment on this post, or share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for a chance to WIN a complete set of the Superman Duffy comics. A winner will be chosen at random on May 1.