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Why Athletes Ignore Your Nutrition Plan When Losing
A question was posed recently on the Performance Nutrition Network which stimulated discussion.
pninsider
May 05, 2025
Expert Opinion
Emotion Dictates Behaviour
A question was posed recently on the Performance Nutrition Network which stimulated discussion.
The score of the game seems to affect compliance with hydration and fuelling.
When athletes are winning, they'll eagerly grab gels and hydration.
When losing, those same products might sit untouched on the sideline.
Dr. James Morehen confirms this pattern:
"100% EMOTION DICTATES BEHAVIOUR - we know this across all social sciences."
"If they win its like yeah give me everything, I am happy, if we lose then mate I don't want it leave me alone."
His most compelling insight comes from categorising athletes into three distinct buckets:
THE PROFESSIONAL - The rare athlete who takes their gel regardless of the scoreboard.
THE ON THE FENCE - Performance dictates behaviour. Timing is everything.
THE "YEAH" YOU OFF ATHLETE - They'll nod enthusiastically at your fuelling strategy pre-game, then ignore it completely when emotions take over.
The actionable takeaway: Don't fight emotion with logic.
Identify which bucket your athletes fall into, then adjust your approach accordingly.
For the difficult "bucket three" athletes, Morehen suggests morning conversations when minds are relaxed.
"Speaking to athlete number 3 in the morning when their mind is relaxed often helps."
"Show them the product, look this is the X product and it will be in this location for you ok!"
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Performance Tech
Maurten Bicarb System
Sodium bicarbonate has long been the unreachable holy grail of performance enhancement—proven to buffer muscle acidity during intense exercise, but unusable due to severe GI distress.
Until now.
Maurten's Bicarb System uses their patented Hydrogel Technology through an ingenious three-part system: a mixing bowl, hydrogel powder, and bicarbonate tablets.
You mix the hydrogel with water, let it set, then stir in the tablets—creating a protective encapsulation that bypasses stomach acid and releases in the intestine where it belongs.
No more choosing between performance and pre-competition comfort.
Consumed 1.5-2 hours pre-exercise with body-weight calibrated doses, each serving also delivers 40g of carbohydrates for complete pre-fuelling.
Maurten Bicarb System
For performance nutritionists, this represents a transformative tool addressing a fundamental limitation many athletes face. The science isn't new—the delivery mechanism is what makes it revolutionary.
This innovation follows another highly novel approach to the bicarb challenge—PR Lotion, which applies sodium bicarbonate topically to bypass the digestive system entirely.
Both solutions highlight just how significant the GI barrier has been to unlocking bicarb's performance potential.
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