Episode #6: Dr. Heather Logan-Sprenger PhD: Optimizing Endurance Performance through Hydration and Menthol Mouth Rinsing

Imperfect Progress with Anne Guzman

It’s SUPER hot out there this summer so this week’s episode with Dr. Heather Logan Sprenger is fitting, since we dive into hydration and regulating body temperature so we can beat the heat!

Listeners will gain insights into Heather’s youth in sport and how this played into her long career as an elite athlete and professional athlete in the sports of hockey and road cycling. While cycling full time Heather was also doing her PhD…that’s intense and I had some questions about how she managed this work life balance.

Next we dive into some science where Heather translates her knowledge so well in regards to sodium intakes and losses, how humidity plays into the picture, individuality in sweat rate and composition and new exciting science on menthol mouth rinsing and it’s potential to up your power (yes the kind you buy in the store!). Heather leaves us with some great insights about how to determine our sweat loss and sodium losses as well as some actionable things we can start doing today to improve our hydration and post training/race recovery. With Heather’s experience as a professional athlete she’s able to relate well to the importance of hydration and maximizing performance through ergogenic aids. Her thoughts on cramping and sodium intake will be insightful for the athletes tuning in (hint it’s not always sodium!).

Heather shares some unforgettable wisdom on managing uncertainty and staying the course when progress isn’t going as smoothly as you may have imagined on your journey from A to B. Her words really stuck with me and will become one of my new mantras…wait for it! I think you’ll love what Dr. Logan-Sprenger has to say about imperfect progress.

During this episode we discuss:

1. The path from young athlete to professional athlete, PhD and Professor
2. Sweat rates and individuality
3. Sodium loss and sodium’s role in the body
4. Tips on hydrating during performance and recovery
5. Menthol mouth rinsing – the science behind it
6. Moving through difficult and uncertain processes in life and a mantra I’ll never forget!

Thanks for listening and please share this episode with anyone who may enjoy and learn from it.

You can connect with Dr. Heather Logan-Sprenger through any of the links below.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-sprenger-ba75283a/?originalSubdomain=ca

Ontario Tech University: https://healthsciences.ontariotechu.ca/people/faculty/heather-sprenger.php

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HLoganSprenger1