You Can Get Fit In Little Steps
Sports drinks crucial to fitness training because your body is a bag of salty water containing all the right minerals for optimum physical function. There’s an immediate discomfort if the tiniest amount of this fluid is lost. For instance, during fitness training, losing a mere 1% of body weight through dehydration can reduce your performance considerably.
There is fatigue and cramps if 2-3% of body fluid is lost. While greater losses may lead to heatstroke, coma, and even death. As such, this is where sports drinks come in. Sports drinks crucial to fitness training hydrate you during intensive training. This is particularly beneficial in hot humid conditions when sweating increases during sports events.
What is the difference between sports drinks and water? Sports drinks keep the amount and concentration of this salty water constant. Also, supply good carbohydrates for your hard-working muscles.
Types Of Sports Drinks
There are three categories of sports drinks crucial to fitness training:
- Fluid and electrolyte replacement drinks
- Energy replacement drinks
- Energy gels
Fluid Electrolyte Drinks
Fluid electrolyte drinks provide you with fluid and electrolytes in an ‘isotonic’ form. This means the same saltiness as blood plasma. Researches show that water in isotonic drinks is absorbed from the stomach more rapidly than pure water alone. The added electrolyte minerals make the drink isotonic and replace minerals you have lost through sweating.
Fluid replacement drinks are especially beneficial to you in a hot climate where profuse sweating occurs. Or in cases where the event is over an hour long. Some fluid replacement drinks also provide small amounts of carbohydrates to help the drink isotonic.
Do-it-yourself electrolyte drink
In situations where budget is an issue, you can always make your own cheap and cheerful electrolyte replacement drink. You can do this by adding a litre of water to a litre of pure orange juice and half a teaspoon of salt. The DIY electrolyte drink may not be technically advanced as some commercial sports drinks. But at least it is reasonably pleasant tasting.
Energy Replacement Drinks
The goal is to replace your energy and fluid by supplying soluble carbohydrates in a drink format. The advantage of using soluble carbohydrates, over solid food, is that little or no digestion is needed. This means you can take these drinks during training or competition, and equally delay glycogen reduction.
Getting energy from drinks is not simply dissolving a load of sugar in water and bottling it. This is because you’re likely to be bloated and have cramps due to poor sugar absorption. Commercial energy drinks get around these problems by supplying carbohydrates in the form of maltodextrin. Or better still, as glucose polymers that behave like starchy carbohydrates in your body, and release energy slowly.
As a result, you can take huge amounts of carbohydrates in a drink format and still benefit from rapid absorption without sugar crashes or bloating effects. But they are pricey!
Energy Gels
They provide soluble carbohydrates in a gel-like format, which is consumed directly from the sachet. The gels supply carbohydrates in an isotonic form for rapid absorption, with small water added.
Gels are useful for you during those times when only water is available. Or in situations where the supply of your normal energy drink cannot be guaranteed. For instance during marathon races. By consuming the gel and drinking water, you can ensure that energy and fluid replacement needs are met wherever you are.
Sports Drinks And Healthy Eating Tips
- Read labels and check the quality of what you’re purchasing. Some sports drinks are nothing more than exorbitantly priced sugary water.
- Try not to use a new drink for the first time in a race situation. Always test it out in training first.
- If you follow a high carbohydrate diet, workouts of less than an hour are more likely to benefit from water rather than energy drinks. Although energy drinks can assist in recovery.
- Keep well hydrated always by drinking plenty of pure water. If your urine is any darker than a pale straw colour, you’re dehydrated.
- Ensure most of your energy come from high-quality complex carbohydrates in your daily diet, rather than from sports drinks.
- Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in potassium and magnesium like bananas and potatoes. Also, eat some dairy products rich in calcium like cheese or milk to maintain electrolyte mineral balance.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sports-drinks
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