Are Sports Drinks Essential?
Yes and No. If you train at high intensities for long periods of time (4-6 hours) then YES. This would be marathon runners, ultra runners, triathaletes, etc. This article however is for the average person that trains regularly to stay fit and healthy not for an extreme sport.
If you’re not involved in extreme sports than you’re better off avoiding all the artificial sweeteners, additives and colourings that are present in the majority of sports drinks.
With soda’s having a bad rap in recent years the drinks industry have quickly turned to promoting sports drinks as a necessity and a healthier option, unfortunately the majority of sports drinks contain 2/3 ‘s the amount of sugar of soda’s and high levels of sodium. It’s true we need sodium especially when exercising; however an excessive amount of sodium can lead to high blood pressure and the people likely to need to replace sodium are extreme athletes.
One of the reasons people have sports drinks is to replace electrolytes. You can do this naturally with drinks such as coconut water. Coconut water is known to have more electrolytes than many leadings sports drinks, minus the negatives.
Here’s an interesting Trail Runners’ blog referring to coconut water
You can also make your own sports drink. Click HERE for a sample recipe
It’s important to stay well hydrated especially when training. Be sure to sip water starting first thing in the morning. Gulping down a liter or two just before a workout won’t allow the water to be absorbed.
Stay hydrated!
