Gatorade vs Water
Just about every commercial on tv now days regarding sports has to do with gatorade or some other sport drink. Water has been pushed to the back of the pack as far as a replenishing drink. But have you ever taken a look at the nutrition label on a sports drink. I can tell you that between the amount of sodium and sugar in them you might as well be drinking pop. Water soaks into your muscle tissues much faster than any sport drink leaving your muscles truly replenished. So the next time you finish a workout don't grab for the taste grad for the true replensher WATER! This video was just a good little clip I thought I would share. I found it funny.
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Comments
Great addition Nick, According to my nutrition book only after exercising vigerously for an hour or more is it recommended to replenish electrolites offered in sports drink. As you suggested more often than not, simple and free water is what your body needs most.
You are suppose to drink both. It is not good to over do it though. Some say 50%-50%. I am old school though I prefer just h2o.....
The textbook by Hoeger has some good discussion on this issue of sports drink during exercise. For anaerobic exercise and short aerobic exercise, water will be fine. For better performance especially with longer exercise, energy intake is necessary to maintain intensity. The fastest form of energy is sugar and Gatorade does provide sugar. The type of sugar depends on if you are using powder Gatorade or the pre-bottled kind. The electrolytes in the drink are also beneficial for longer duration, to help with the absorption of water and to maintain a salt-to-water balance. It can be fatal if you drink to much water, especially without salt. For more detailed scientifically-backed information, see the ACSM's most recent statement on nutrition and athletic performance:
http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/20...