Cool off with this treat before hot workouts

(Jennie Book)

Summer equals high temperatures, fewer clothes and more reason to be fit but for many, hot days can also mean sluggish energy. However a team of researchers in New Zealand has found the answer, just have a shaved ice with your favorite colored syrup, also referred to as snow cone, ice slurry or slushie, before a workout to increase endurance.

In a new study published in the April edition of the American journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, the researchers noted "compared with cold water, ice slurry ingestion... increased submaximal endurance running time in the heat" by an extra 10 minutes, concluding that "ice slurry ingestion may be an effective and practical precooling maneuver for athletes competing in hot environments."

Good news - the study is complete and you weren't subject to the temperatures needed to determine efficacy of the ice slurry. Even better - you can enjoy all sorts of old school versions of this summer treat before a run in the park, Bikram yoga or spin class.

If you would like to create your own snow cone at home, you could purchase a shaved ice machine ranging in price from $34.95-$299 (€26.47- 226.45) and douse it with ginger beer, a Jamaican roadside treat that works to cool you off.

For an even easier and cheaper option, try making a granita, an Italian ice treat easily made in your freezer with any sweet juice, soda or liquid syrup you like.

Here are some basic and creative recipes for a granita from the blogs Cooking For Engineers: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/35/Basic-Granita and MangiaBenePasta: http://www.mangiabenepasta.com/granita.html

Full study, "Ice Slurry Ingestion Increases Core Temperature Capacity and Running Time in the Heat": http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2010/04000/Ice_Slurry_Ingestion_Increases_Core_Temperature.13.aspx