The best sports drink
When you’re done working out or playing sports your body is dehydrated and sore,
and you want nothing more than to go to the store and pickup your favorite drink.
But is you’re usual Gatorade the best choice? Is your PowerAde going to refresh
and refuel you better than the others? Here’s a guide to picking the right sports
drink.
What do sports drinks do?
A good sports drink will help you avoid dehydration which occurs when doing physical
activities such as playing sports or working out. When your body starts producing
sweat this is the first sign of dehydration occurring. When you start losing sweat
your body begins to overheat, compromising both your physical and mental states.
You start to run slower, think less, make more mistakes and become overly tired.
Dehydration factors includes;
- Exercise intensity - If you’re playing a sport where you are constantly running
such as soccer or basketball you have a better chance of getting dehydrated than
if you were playing baseball, or golf. - Environment - Depending on the time of day, and the weather outside and even inside
sporting arenas will cause you to sweat more. - Clothing and sports gear - To cut down on your body getting dehydrated you need to
wear loose fit clothing so that your body has enough air flow to let sweat evaporate.
If you’re wearing tight fitting shirts or equipment such as helmets or pads then
this will cause your body to overheat even quicker and there is less room for the
sweat to evaporate. - Genetics - Depending on your family background some people just produce more sweat
then others causing your internal body temperature to rise. While another peoples
body may just produce enough to cool there body efficiently.
Choosing the right sports drink
This all comes down to what you’re looking to get from your post workout/sports outing. Some people will be looking for a rehydrating drink, others will be looking to get as many vitamins and minerals they can and some people might be looking for something to keep them going as they workout or are playing a sport.
Here is a list of the most popular sports drinks and what they will provide for you;
Gatorade G2 - This is a sports drink designed for off field training, so if you just finished a workout, or got done playing 4 quarters of football and you feel the effects of dehydration then this is the right beverage for you. Another key fact about G2 is that it has fewer calories than the majority of the sports drinks on the market (25 calories per 8-ounce serving)
Vitamin Water - Vitamin water is a more diverse drink then all the other re-hydrating
drinks on the market right now. It comes in 15 different kinds including;
- Power c - for more power
- Defence - for more immunity
- Endurance - for more energy
- Rescue - to boost metabolism
- XXX - to get more antioxidants
PowerAde Zero - This is PowerAdes’ response to G2, except this drink has zero calories per serving. It basically does the same job as the G2 with a bit more sugar. It’s hard to pick a winner between the two, but with zero calories PowerAde zero has the edge.
Propel Fit water
This is a great tool to stay hydrated during physical exercise, it provides your body with the essential vitamins and nutrients to stay hydrated and mentally aware during vigorous activities. Propel comes in 13 different flavors and is also a good way to get calcium into your body which a lot of people lack, which can lead to unhealthy bones and sore joints.
So which sports drink do I recommend? Personally I stick to water as much as possible because it’s all natural and your body needs it during the day and night as well as when your exercising. But when Im playing a high stakes games of driveway basketball I always go for my orange Gatorade.
So now you have a better idea of which sports drink will work best for your activities, and remember to stay well hydrated at all times and enjoy the outdoors.
Cheers and healthy living
Relevant Links:
Articles You Might Also Like:
One Comment »
Leave a comment!
 |
[...] at least 8 glasses of water and liquids per day. Staying hydrated is a very big part of getting a healthy [...]