Sports Drinks and Electrolytes

It may be true that a professional athlete exercising in extreme conditions for 3 or more hours each day benefits from rehydration with a sports drink to replenish electrolytes. However, the majority of us are not exercising at such an extreme intensity day in and day out. While we may look cool or feel more athletic with a sports drink in hand, the reality is that this is just a source of empty calories that is counteracting all the hard work you are putting in at the gym. Water is all that most recreational exercisers need to stay well hydrated!
 
Beware that many sports drinks are packed with just as much sugar as soda—about 10-12 tablespoons-worth! And this sugar is in the form of high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is a highly processed form of sugar that is added to many of the foods that we eat today—bread, soda, cereals, and even lunch meats. While it remains unclear whether or not this form of sugar is worse for you than regular table sugar, your best bet is to avoid it. This means avoiding sports drinks, except for the occasional low-calorie or calorie-free versions.
 
Remember that it is the job of those who market sports drinks to make you believe that you need their product to have enough energy when you exercise or play sports. This is simply not true. You can get all the energy that you need before you work out from natural foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. This will put enough energy in the tank to take you through your workout at full force. Or if you are in a rush, bring along a low sugar, whole grain energy bar to keep your blood sugar levels from dropping. This will give you longer-lasting energy than the quick sugar high (and then crash!) you would get from a sports drink. So skip the sugar water and stick to good old plain H₂O!

A Bit on Electrolytes
 
Our blood consists mainly of water and molecules called electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals that are important for the physiologic function of all cells of the body. The main electrolytes in our blood are sodium, potassium, and chloride, all of which can be obtained easily from ordinary foods.
 
As we lose water while we sweat, we also lose electrolytes. However, these losses are not usually significant and as we become accustomed to increased physical activity, our bodies respond by minimizing the amount of electrolytes that we lose through sweating. Unless you are going hard for more than 3 hours (e.g. running a marathon), your best bet is to skip the sugary sports drink and get your electrolytes from natural food sources.