Posts Tagged ‘Drinks’

A Guide to Choosing Sports Drinks

We are all aware of the importance of hydration when it comes to sport and improving performance. Exercise scientists and dieticians have invested extensive research into this area. Sports drinks are designed to provide both fluid and carbohydrate that is readily absorbed from the small intestine.

Sports drinks typically contain carbohydrates, electrolytes, flavour and other ingredients.

Carbohydrates provide fuel for the muscles. When carbohydrate is present in the sports drink at a concentration below 8%, it is rapidly absorbed by the body. If the concentration is greater than 8%, water absorption is slowed. Carbohydrates may be added to sports drinks in glucose, glucose polymer, sucrose or fructose form.

Sodium, potassium and sometimes magnesium are added to sports drinks and are referred to as electrolytes. The addition of sodium is said to stimulate the absorption of carbohydrates and water from the small intestine. Most sports drinks contain 10-25mmol/L of sodium which makes you thirstier to encourage you to drink more.

Most athletes only replace half the fluid they lose during sport, so it’s important that sports drinks are tasty to encourage the athlete to drink more.

Some manufacturers of sports drinks also add vitamins, minerals, protein, herbs and sometimes even caffeine. Be wary of big promises.

The best sports drink for you depends on your personal preference. Most manufacturers tend to follow the basic formula, so it really comes down to taste. The more you like the taste of your sports drink, the more you will drink and the more you will replace important fluids.

For more information about sports drinks and to compare sports drinks available in Australia visit http://www.healthycomparisons.com.au/Sports_Drinks.aspx

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Healthy Sports Drinks: Enhance the Energy Levels

It is often said that health is wealth and many people follow this saying. Some people are really very conscious about their health and work hard to have a well balanced body build. Apart form doing workouts and having healthy diets these health conscious people even go for healthy sports drinks. All those who have great passion for sports must go for healthy sports drinks, as these drinks help in providing extra energy to the human body. Sports drinks act as energy providers and always remain with sports persons to meet their thirst requirements.

It is advisable that a person must go for branded healthy sports drinks because some brands promise to come up with the effects of sports drinks at the earliest. Healthy sports drinks made naturally without using any chemicals are more beneficial for human bodies and a person must go for these drinks. Some of the champions have used home made healthy sports drinks and seen tremendous effects in terms of stamina, body build, energy levels etc. Human body requires more nutrients and energy supply to perform heavy works and for this healthy sports drinks are really beneficial.

If you want to give your best shorts and develop a perfect tight body like a real sports person then take advice from a physician or coach and stick to the best energy drinks. It is also said that healthy sports drinks do not have any kind of side effects so a person need not worry while having these drinks.

Apart from a sports person an ordinary man can also quit intake of soft and hard drinks rather stick to only energy drinks to gain energy. Boost your energy levels to perform the activities you always wanted to. Making healthy sports drinks an integral part of life a sports person will see how well he/she performs in the upcoming games.

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Healthy Sports Drinks – Help Replenish Water and Essential Nutrients

Health is wealth goes the old saying. If you want to excel in sports, you need to have a healthy body. Since sports involve a great deal of physical exertion, a lot of body sweat gets discharged from sports persons’ bodies. This may lead to dehydration and they may have to deal with depletion of vital nutrients and minerals that give energy in their bodies. To supplement their energy needs, they need to take healthy sports drinks.

Healthy sports drinks are primarily meant to replace body water lost after a physical exertion. They also facilitate replenishment of nutrients, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. Since water makes up around 60% of the person’s body, taking healthy sports drinks to keep this water volume intact becomes essential.

Water facilitates regulation of body temperature through sweating. It also plays the role of a transporter of oxygen and nutrients in the body. Since athletes and sports persons sweat a lot, the chances of water reduction in their bodies multiply and they may get dehydrated. Healthy sports drinks can prevent this process.

Healthy sports drinks give instant energy that also lasts longer unlike ordinary sports drinks that give instant energy that last only a few hours. Healthy sports drinks contain calories, sodium, proteins, and other minerals in right proportion. They do not contain any stimulants or sweeteners. They also do not contain substances like caffeine.

Healthy sports drinks are prepared after a great research work on different body needs of sports persons. Sports drinks can be categorized into isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic depending upon their water and sugar content. Isotonic sports drinks contain water similar to the volume of water in the human body, with six to eight percent sugar. Hypotonic sports drinks contain more water and less sugar, while hypertonic sports drinks contain less water and more sugar.

The Benefits of Electrolytes in Sports Drinks

It has been 50 years since the sports drink was introduced to athletes in the United States. The first sports drink, Bengal Punch, was given to athletes at Louisiana State University in 1958. Gatorade, the most recognizable name in sports drinks, debuted the following decade at the University of Florida and revolutionized the way athletes energize and re-hydrate themselves during a sporting event.

Since then, other sports drinks similar to Gatorade have been introduced to the market, including Glaceau Vitamin Water. These drinks are incredibly popular with adult and teen athletes, as well as beverage consumers in general.

The main ingredients that sports drinks contain which enhance athletic performance are electrolytes, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Athletes can gain many benefits from sports drinks while they are physically active. Among the most important of these aspects are:

Replenishment of Electrolytes

Electrolytes are salts that are naturally part of body fluids. When an athlete (or a gardener or a mail carrier or anyone else who engages in physical activity) sweats, electrolytes are lost through the sweat. If electrolytes are lost too quickly, the body does not have the ability to restore them as rapidly as they were lost. Sports drinks contain electrolytes such as chloride, sodium, and potassium to help replenish what was lost through sweat. Introducing electrolytes back into the body helps keep dehydration from occurring. Dehydration can become a very serious problem if not attended to. Electrolytes help to increase the absorption of fluids into the bloodstream.

A person who is exerting energy can quickly become dehydrated, in as little as 30 minutes. Therefore, it is suggested that athletes begin drinking a sports drink even before they start their activity.

Replenishment of Energy

Anyone who has ever exercised knows that fatigue can occur quickly. One of the reasons for this is that exercise increases metabolism, and when a person’s metabolism is working overtime, it breaks down carbohydrates quickly. Carbohydrates are one of the main sources of energy for the body.

By replacing lost carbohydrates, the body can continue to work efficiently and an athlete has more energy to complete their activity.

Replacement of Lost Vitamins and Minerals

The human body also draws energy from various vitamins and minerals only found in certain foods, beverages or supplements. Sports drinks contain these vitamins and minerals to help keep the body working efficiently during activity.

Quenching of Thirst

As the body loses fluids, a person who is exerting energy will become thirsty. The ingredients found in sports drinks can quench thirst as effectively as water and better than soft drinks leaving the person feeling more refreshed and energized.

The Right Balance of Ingredients

In the past, many athletes created their own energy/sports drinks. Some still do. However, a sports drink that has a proper balance of ingredients will be much more effective than a homemade version. Most commercial sports drinks have the correct balance of electrolytes, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and liquids. Without the right mix of ingredients in the proper amounts, a sports drink could hinder instead of enhance performance. Upset stomach or poor absorption rate of the drink could occur from the wrong balance of ingredients.

A Variety of Color and Flavor Choices

If you think that the color of a sports drink does not make a difference, spend a few minutes at the snack bar at a Little League field. Children, and many adults, find the color choice very important. Color can invoke a mood such as a cool blue color giving the feel of thirst quenching mountain water or a hot red color invoking the image of energy. It may be psychological, but it is still important.

Those who drink sports drinks also have taste preferences, and with the variety of sports drinks offered today, there is a choice for every taste.

They Don’t “Run Through” a Body as Quickly as Water

Water may quench thirst, but it doesn’t replenish any of the lost electrolytes, carbohydrates, vitamins or minerals that sports drinks can. Although all of these things are lost during sweating, they can also be lost through urination. Water causes more frequent urination than sports drinks do. Therefore, sports drinks not only replenish these important electrolytes, carbohydrates, vitamins or minerals, they also can help the body hold on to the ones they already have for a longer period of time.

The main ingredient in any sports drink is, of course, water. Water is important for re-hydration. The additional ingredients in sports drinks make them a better choice than water alone for athletes and others who exert a lot of energy and need to replenish the essential nutrients that have been quickly depleted in their bodies.