Sports Drinks

Sports Drinks

There is a fad that is going around that sports drinks are "healthy" for you because of all the electrolytes and they keep you more hydrated. Why wouldn't you think that? The athlete drink it all the time, it must be good.  As with everything that is good, there is always an underline.

What you don't realize is those athletes my be pouring in sweat like you should be after the gym but they did an extra three hours of work that you did not.This sports drink fad started with the all famous sports drink Gatorade (created in 1965 to help the Florida Gators replenish their electrolytes, see history here). After that there became an explosion of new sports drinks and energy drinks. There is basically a whole aisle in the grocery story just for sports drinks. When and where are the times to drink sports drinks?

The NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) recommends drinking sports drinks if you are doing vigorous workouts of activities for more than 60 minutes in heat. Usually if it is cool than water should be enough to replenish you needs. If you drink it casually or drink it after short workouts then you are consuming more calories than you just worked off. The whole point of a sports drink is to replenish your electrolytes. If you still have all your electrolytes after a workout then you are just paying for very expensive pee and an increase in blood sugar.

Alternatives for just water is have water and some lemon squeezed in. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association says that drinking water and eating after a workout should be enough to replenish any missing electrolytes after a strenuous workout. Therefore you don't even have to go buy the sports drink and use the extra money to get some delicious fresh vegetables. There are electrolyte drops found in natural food stores that has sodium and potassium with other micro nutrients in it. It does not have any extra sugar and does not change your drinks flavor.

All in all, the only time a sports drink is useful is if you are working in a very hot climate for an extended period of time and need your carbohydrates restored. Casual drinking of sports drinks is not recommended if you want to live a healthier lifestyle. Chose wisely and enjoy you water!