Sports Drink Intake During Fitness Workouts

A sports drink is an important step in fitness nutrition. Glycemic fruit juices are quick to replace energy and lost nutrients during a workout. Maintaining our stores of glycogen can prolong performance, especially during high intensity workouts. The glycogen is what helps supply the body with oxygen needed during cardio exercising which is also a key component in burning fat. Sports drinks enhanced with additional vitamins, minerals, or nutrients that can add up to be an expense. There are three popular types of sports drinks:

Isotonic: Quickly replaces fluids lost due to sweating and supplies a boost of carbohydrates.

Hypotonic: Quickly replaces fluids lost during cardio training, and is best for low-perspiration athletes such as jockeys and gymnasts.

Hypertonic: Supplements daily carbohydrate intake after exercise to raise current glycogen stores. This drink is used primarily for athletes such as long distance runners who need the extra carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Two of the most popular sports drinks are Gatorade and Powerade.

GATORADE: For 36 years, Gatorade has been the best selling sports drink. Their basic formula is comprised of simple sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose). Compared to water it will help increase your endurance exercise performance by supplying ready energy and good hydration. Ingredients: water, sucrose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, salt, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, ester gum.

POWERADE: Although very similar to Gatorade, Powerade adds a few grams of maltodextrin (complex carb) and a bit more of B vitamins.Ingredients: water, high fructose corn syrupmaltodextrin (glucose polymers), citric acid, salt, potassium citrate, modified food starch, potassium phosphate, natural flavors, glycerol ester of wood rosin, guar gum, niacinamide (B3), coconut oil, brominated vegetable oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), Cyanocobalamin (B12).

Although these drinks offer an element of hydration, they should not be the only source of hydration and pure water should still be highly valued. Water is essential for the body to properly function and the key to proper nutrition is drinking a lot of water before, during and after any workout. Sports drinks aren't the only way to consume electrolytes. Following a proper food diet will provide the body with enough electrolytes needed for exercising and any kind of physical activity.