"To Beat the Heat, Drink a Slushie First" in yesterday's New York Times cited a study at the New Zealand Academy of Sport in Auckland in which young males who drank a syrup-flavored ice slushie before running in a hot room were able to run for an average of 50 minutes before they had to stop, 10 minutes longer than when they drank only syrup-flavored cold water.

The study's senior investigator, Paul Laursen, wanted to know whether the slushies, which are colder than ice, might effectively cool the body before exercise. According to the Times' article, other researchers "have found they can delay the time to utter exhaustion by getting people a bit chilled before they start."

If you want to give the slushie theory a whirl, you'll need a blender that does a good job at crushing ice and making icy drinks. To find which model is right for you, check out our free blenders buyer's guide to blenders and blender ratings (available to subscribers). Among the many paces we put each blender through is its ability to make icy drinks.

The hot-weather hydration advice from our in-house health experts calls for plain old H₂0: Drink two to three cups of water two to three hours before you exercise and smaller amounts during the workout.

—Daniel DiClerico