Sports drinks are often advertised to improve athletic performance and prevent dehydration, but is this really true? Sports drinks such as Gatorade usually contain carbohydrates in the form of sugar, electrolytes, and flavor additives. While sports drinks may be beneficial for restoring lost nutrients and water after a long workout, there is limited evidence saying that consuming sports drinks during a workout enhances performance for a non competitive athlete.
If you are a regulary exerciser and not an athlete or training at an athlete’s level, water is usually the optimum fluid before, during, and after short exercise periods (approximately 1 hour). A general rule of thumb is to drink 16 oz of water 2 hours before a workout, and then sip water throughout the duration of your exercises. It is important to note that you won’t feel thirsty until you have lost approximately 2% of your body weight—a significant amount that can really hurt performance.
For longer exercise periods, sports drinks containing 6-10% carbohydrates may be useful. People tend to drink more sports drink than water due to the added colors and flavors, so hydration status may be better maintained. Most sports drinks contain enough sugar that they can be diluted with 50% water.
After you finish exercising weigh yourself and drink 2-3 cups of water for every pound lost. It is also important to pay attention to your urine color; small amounts of dark urine indicate you are dehydrated.