Sports Drinks

The last time I walked down the sports drink aisle in the supermarket I was overwhelmed when checking out the options available.  Not to mention feeling a distinct low blow to my wallet.  How does one choose between the bottles of gatorade, powerade, fuelocity, mio, coconut water, monster, rockstar, red bull, fruit juices, vitamin waters??  

The choice gets easier when you’re able to make an informed decision. What you need to ask yourself is “What does your body need while exercising?”

The answer will depend on how hard & long the workout is, the environmental conditions at the time, and body size. 

- Just water is fine for workouts up to an hour, but after that carb and electrolyte replenishment is typically required to maintain performance levels. Particularly for workouts lasting 2 hours or longer.  

- The higher the temperature and humidity, the more hydration you’ll require

- Larger bodies require more water than smaller (e.g. adults v children, obese v thin).  

So if you’re working out for an hour in an air conditioned gym, a bottle of water is all you need. But if you’re working out in hot, humid conditions for well over an hour then opting for a sports drink might be a good choice. 

Your body needs water on a regular basis, as well as carbohydrates for energy metabolism, but when you work hard or get overheated, your body will lose electrolytes in your sweat (e.g. Sodium and Potassium) and they also need to be replaced or you  might start cramping.  So water, carbs and electrolytes should all be included in your sports drink. 

My biggest issue with most sports drinks is that they tend to overload the sugary carbs and end up adding too many calories to your diet as well as spiking your insulin levels.  Even times when I drink pure fruit juice I find the sugar overload is hard on my stomach causing stitches and cramps. Its important to find the right balance of sugar to water in your drink, I often find less is more.  If I'm stuck drinking gatorade or fruit juice I always need to dilute the drink with water by at least 50% or its too hard on my stomach. 

I’ve tried a few drinks in my day, but I’ve found this homemade mix always gives me great results, so I wanted to share it with you:

Kelly’s Homemade Sports Drink:

1 cup water, 1/4 cup fruit juice (e.g. pineapple juice), 1 pinch salt.

In this solution you rehydrate with water (the main essential ingredient), get carb energy from the fruit juice and electrolytes from the salt, all in appropriate levels.  These are all ingredients laying around in your kitchen and easily prepped. Its also much cheaper than buying those mass marketed sports drink in your grocery store.  Stop overpaying for all the hype and make a simple natural mix that meets your body’s performance needs.  Its just that easy. 

So grab your now properly mixed water bottle and stay hydrated in the heat :)