FitBritt often receives questions about whether sports drinks are beneficial and worth the money. Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade can be helpful in replacing electrolytes, which are lost with heavy sweating after strenuous activity. However, most workouts do not rise to the activity level that would require you to replace electrolytes through a sport drink. Unless you doing an extremely physically demanding workout, a sports drink is not necessary. Furthermore, most sports drinks contain a lot of calories meaning you are drinking in all those calories you worked so hard to burn off! There are now zero calorie sports drinks on the market, like Powerade Zero- so if you do need a sports drink, consider choosing a zero calorie option.
The best bet? Water is *free* and the best way to hydrate!
Fit Tip: Room temperature or warmer water helps cool your system faster than cold water. And if you are concerned that your workout has been strenuous enough to cause electrolyte and nutrient loss, consider having water and a banana, a natural energy booster and much less expensive than a sports drink. Finally, cut down your water costs by investing in a stainless steel re-fillable water bottle (plastic ones can contain Bisphenol A or BPA which can have harmful side effects).
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I tired the banana and water . . . and it was refreshing as it was such a hot day.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to mention that a stainless steel re-fillable water bottle is more eco-friendly then using disposable plastic water bottles.
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