Every July, I ask myself the same question:
Will this be the year my body tells me it's time to stop?
I'm 73 years old, and this summer I completed my 28th consecutive Make-A-Wish Michigan Bicycle Tour—300 miles over three days to help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Every year I train. Every year I learn something new.
This year, however, I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life—not while riding, but after I crossed the finish line.
I Thought I Had Prepared Perfectly
Over the years I've made mistakes.
One year I became dehydrated because I didn't drink enough. I promised myself I would never let that happen again.
This year I was determined to do everything right.
I carried electrolyte drinks.
I drank plenty of fluids.
I packed energy chews.
I made sure I never felt thirsty.
I was so focused on hydration that I never stopped to ask whether I was actually nourishing my body.
As it turns out, those are two very different things.
Three Days of Riding...and Not Enough Nutrition
The first day ended with a pizza dinner.
The second morning I had eggs and a banana before another 100-mile ride.
Lunch was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because, as a pescatarian, there weren't many other choices.
That evening we were in a remote area. A vegetarian meal had been prepared, but by the time I reached the serving line, it was gone. The only food left was rice.
The third morning was eggs and a banana again.
Lunch was another peanut butter sandwich.
At every rest stop I concentrated on drinking fluids and replacing electrolytes. Maybe I ate half a banana once or twice, but very little else.
I rode 300 miles.
I replaced my fluids.
But I never truly replaced what my body was losing.
The Day After
When I got home, I expected to be tired.
Instead, I became progressively sicker.
I was dizzy.
I was nauseated.
The more I tried to eat, the worse I felt.
Breakfast was eggs cooked in butter.
Later I tried hummus, tahini, and even half of a chocolate bar, thinking perhaps I simply needed calories.
Nothing helped. In fact, every bite seemed to make things worse.
Eventually I did what millions of people now do when they're trying to understand what is happening to their bodies.
I opened ChatGPT.
The Answer Finally Made Sense. The explanation immediately clicked.
It wasn't simply dehydration.
During prolonged endurance exercise, especially in hot weather, the body shifts blood away from the digestive system and sends it to the heart, lungs, skin, and working muscles.
Exercise physiologists call this splanchnic hypoperfusion.
Research has shown that blood flow to the digestive tract can decrease by 50–80% during prolonged endurance exercise.
Your body is making a smart survival decision.
The muscles need oxygen.
The digestive system can wait.
Unfortunately, your stomach doesn't always appreciate that decision.
Reduced blood flow slows digestion, decreases nutrient absorption, and helps explain why so many endurance athletes experience nausea, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and vomiting after long events.
Studies estimate that 30–70% of endurance athletes experience gastrointestinal symptoms during prolonged exercise, particularly when dehydration and heat are involved.
Suddenly everything made sense.
I Had Been Replacing Fluids...Not Recovery Nutrition
Looking back, I had consumed plenty of carbohydrates. I had consumed electrolytes. I had consumed calories.
But my meals contained surprisingly little high-quality protein, and after three consecutive days of endurance exercise I had replaced very few of the minerals my body had been using.
My body wasn't asking for another sports drink.
It was asking to rebuild.
The Recommendation That Surprised Me
ChatGPT suggested something I wasn't expecting.
"Stop eating foods containing fats, just sip bone broth.”
Not because bone broth is a miracle cure.
Not because it treats illness.
But because when your stomach is irritated after prolonged exercise, warm liquids that are easy to digest and contain protein, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and naturally occurring minerals are often better tolerated than heavier meals.
That recommendation shocked me.
I happen to own a bone broth company.
I warmed a cup of Broth Masters Chicken and Beef Bone Broth.
I added a little extra sea salt.
I stirred in nutritional yeast, turmeric, fresh ground peppercorn, and ground ginger.
Then I slowly sipped it. The broth was so soothing.
I finished the broth and went to bed.
The Next Morning I woke up feeling dramatically better. I asked ChatGPT again what I should do next.
The answer was simple.
Continue sipping bone broth.
Drink ginger tea.
Drink mint tea.
Rest.
That's exactly what I did.
The bone broth was so satiating that by mid-day I was myself again.
Why I Believe Bone Broth Helped Me
I can't say with certainty which single factor made the biggest difference.
Recovery is complex.
Rest mattered.
Hydration mattered.
Time mattered.
But I also believe the broth played an important role. Bone broth provided something my body had been missing.
Protein to begin repairing muscle tissue.
Naturally occurring sodium.
Potassium.
Magnesium.
Phosphorus.
Calcium.
Warm fluids that my stomach could tolerate.
Unlike another heavy meal, it didn't make me feel worse. It allowed me to begin nourishing my body again.
Why Broth Masters Is Different
This experience reminded me why I started Broth Masters in the first place.
We don't make shelf-stable broth. We don't pressure-process it for long storage.
Our broth is slow-simmered for 48 hours using grass-fed beef bones, free range chicken bones and organic vegetables, then rapidly chilled and frozen.
Because we liquefy the softened bones, each cup naturally provides approximately:
- 14 grams of protein (about 24% Daily Value)
- 30% Daily Value Calcium
- NAturally occuring phsphorus
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Collagen and Gelatin
Those nutrients aren't added as supplements.
They're naturally present in the finished broth.
The Lesson I'll Never Forget
For years I thought recovery meant replacing fluids. Now I know recovery means replacing nutrients.
Hydration matters.
Electrolytes matter.
Calories matter.
But after asking your body to ride 300 miles in three days, recovery also means giving it the building blocks it needs to repair.
As a cyclist, this lesson changed the way I'll prepare for every future ride.
As the founder of Broth Masters, it reminded me why we work so hard to make a real food product instead of simply another beverage.
Sometimes the most important lessons don't happen during the ride.
They happen afterward.
And sometimes they arrive one warm cup at a time.
The Science Behind What Happened to Me:During prolonged endurance exercise, the body makes a remarkable adjustment. To ensure that working muscles, the heart, lungs, and skin receive enough oxygen and nutrients, blood is temporarily redirected away from the digestive tract. Exercise physiologists call this splanchnic hypoperfusion. Studies have shown that blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract can decrease by 50% to as much as 80% during strenuous endurance exercise.¹
That physiological response is essential for athletic performance, but it comes at a cost. Reduced blood flow to the stomach and intestines can slow digestion, impair nutrient absorption, and contribute to nausea, cramping, bloating, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. Researchers estimate that 25% to 70% of endurance athletes experience gastrointestinal symptoms during prolonged exercise, particularly during long-distance running and cycling events.²
Heat and dehydration can make these symptoms even worse. As blood is diverted to the skin for cooling and to the muscles for movement, the digestive tract receives even less circulation, making it more difficult to tolerate food immediately after exercise.³
Looking back, I realized I had done an excellent job replacing fluids and electrolytes, but I had done a poor job replacing the nutrients my body needed after riding 300 miles in three days.
My experience is just that—my experience. It isn't proof that bone broth will produce the same results for everyone, nor is it a substitute for medical care. But it reminded me of something we often forget:
Recovery isn't just about replacing what you sweat out.
It's about rebuilding what your body used to carry you across the finish line.
References
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van Wijck K, Lenaerts K, van Loon LJC, et al. Exercise-induced splanchnic hypoperfusion results in gut dysfunction in healthy men. American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22517770/
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de Oliveira EP, Burini RC. The impact of physical exercise on the gastrointestinal tract. Sports Medicine. 2014.
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ter Steege RWF, Kolkman JJ. Review article: the pathophysiology and management of gastrointestinal symptoms during physical exercise, and the role of splanchnic blood flow. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2012.