Liquid calories are hiding in your coffee drinks, your cocktails, your sodas, your fruit smoothies, and even your “hydrating” sports drinks. Yup, it’s true. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Powerade, are advertised as fluid replacements for athletes. They provide carbohydrates (for energy to fight fatigue) and electrolytes (for hydration and muscle function) that are not found in water.
But here’s the catch. While electrolyte and energy deficits can occur during rigorous events (say a 50 mile run, a 100 mile bike ride, or a four hour triathlon), average workouts (an hour lifting weights, a 45 minute spinning class, or a 30 minute run) will not do the same. In fact, you need to engage in strenuous exercise for at least an hour or longer in order for expensive sports beverages to provide a performance edge that water can’t supply. Also keep in mind that if your goal is weight management
or weight loss, drinking extra carbohydrates (aka extra calories) is counter productive.
For most, water remains an effective and inexpensive way to cover losses sustained by a common workout. And the absolute best option for everyday hydration!
Need some help cleaning out your drinking diet?
Take the flavored water Healthy Hydration Challenge—a kick-it-for-good sayonara to sugar-sweetened beverages that promises to show you how to retrain your brain to love drinking water, not sugar.
All you need to do is try our Flavored Water ideas every day for the next 21 days. You will see that you won’t want the sugar anymore after the challenge is over and it won’t be a challenge for you anymore.
You can also try these flavored ice cubes for more ideas.
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