Are Sports Drinks Better for the Gym?
by Jenny Granadino, posted on 2009-03-01 01:51:57By Linda Jennifer Granadino
Sports drinks vs. water for your gym workout…what’s better? Have you actually ever read the nutrition label on a sports drink? You’ll notice that one bottle can contain anywhere between 150-200 calories and an enormous amount of sugar! This is not a good idea if you’re on a diet and are cutting calories in order to lose weight. Personally, I prefer water because I know it can take me about 25 minutes just to burn 200 calories on a treadmill. In other words, that sports drink is NOT worth it.
However, in some cases, a sports drink can provide better fuel for a more strenuous work out. In an article by Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness, “To Drink a Sports Drink (or Not)”, she explains that: “long, tough workouts are a whole different story. Glycogen, or the carbohydrates that are stored in your muscles, get depleted the longer and harder you exercise. Once glycogen is scarce, your limbs will feel heavy and you’ll get fatigued. Dehydration and the loss of electrolytes also occurs the more you sweat during heavy exercise, and this can also impair your performance. Sports drinks have been proven to delay fatigue and improve endurance times by hydrating you with the fluids and electrolytes you need and replenishing your glucose (or carb) supplies. So you’ll be able to work harder and longer during intense exercise (a long run or bike ride, or an intense game of hoops) with the added energy from a sports drink.”
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