Comparing the Best in Sports Drinks

Walk down any grocery aisle and you will find the shelves packed with dozens of options in sport drinks. Years ago, the best way for an athlete to hydrate was good old water. Not anymore, not only does that athlete need to hydrate, they need to improve their power, speed, and energy. Which sport drinks can give you those and which ones are a waste of your time, money, and calories? Here are some suggestions on the most popular types and their benefits or drawbacks:

1. Conventional Sport Drinks
Gatorade is one of the classic sports drinks that fall into this category. Most traditional sports drinks will have all the necessary essentials such as water for hydration, carbohydrates for energy and electrolytes that get lost when we sweat. Having the additional carbs when exercising gives you additional speed and endurance. Having the extra sodium helps you to retain the hydration while you are sweating away.

However, drinking sports drinks such as Gatorade is not recommended for the average person not working out. It is a waste of calories and money. These are called sports drinks because your suppose to drink them when your active. Another negative to conventional sports drinks is the high content of sugar and acidic content. That content can quickly erode and stain tooth enamel, even more so than soda.

2. Flavored Water Sport Drinks
The good news is that if you’re a calorie conscious active person, these drinks can be great for short workouts. Most in this category are designed to replace electrolytes, hydrate, and nothing else. They are a great replacement if you’re the kind of active person who just doesn’t like the taste of water.

Nevertheless, you need to remember that if your workout is longer than an hour these drinks will not help. Long workouts demand new energy replacement. That means more carbs in your drink. These low-calorie flavored waters are not the ticket.

3. Energy Sport Drinks
In the last few years, energy drinks such as Red Bull and Rockstar have made huge inroads into the sports world. These energy drinks are packed with lots of sugar and caffeine, as well as herbs like ginseng. However, these drinks will help the athlete with muscular and aerobic endurance.

Too much caffeine during a workout will just make you a jittery athlete. Not to mention what the extra sugar can do to your stomach. The physical endurance is short lived and the caffeine crash just doesn’t make it worth trying.

4. Water vs Sport Drinks
Whether it is plain or mineral, water is the easiest and cheapest way to drink. Water transports glucose, oxygen and fats to your muscles and helps to carry away carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Water is a great body temperature regulator.

However, don’t get obsessive and drink too much. It is possible to overhydrate. If that happens, you can dilute the sodium in your system and therefore reduce your electrolytes.

The best advice for drinking while working out is to start with water. If your workout extends beyond a couple of hours than look to a sports drink with some carbohydrates and electrolytes to replenish your body.