Drink Gatorade, Get Fat
Posted on | June 14, 2008 | 1 Comment
 picture by mandj98 |
I would like to thank our guest writer Mary Burak for contributing this article and increasing our Workout IQ.
Now that summer has arrived, we need to pay more attention to making sure we stay hydrated. This also includes maintaining a proper electrolyte balance. Most people turn to sports drinks like Gatorade, but few realize these drinks were originally developed for endurance athletes. (Think intense, duration, and heat.) But for most people, the high sugar content (14g per serving, with multiple servings in a single bottle) makes them only marginally better than sodas, and can easily derail a weight loss regimen. Your first choice should simply to drink plain water, but if you feel you need a bit more, then here is a list of products to consider when exercising on a hot day.
Emergen-C
This most often comes in packets to be added to water or juice, but they’ve recently started to offer pre-mixed bottles. The original formula includes seven mineral ascorbates (electrolytes), 1000mg of vitamin C, tons of B vitamins, and 32 active minerals. This is great for giving you a concentrated dose, with less than half the sugar (6g per packet) of Gatorade. The same company also offers a formula called Electro-Mix that supplies potassium, calcium, magnesium, maganese, and chromium without the sugar. Plus, they offer formulas for bones, joints, heart, and one with high concentration of MSM, all in a variety of flavors. Check the packaging before buying to make sure you’ve picked up the one you really want.
The best place to buy them is Walmart, but they don’t always carry it. The next best is Trader Joe’s, and sometimes Costco. Be warned that different formulas and even different flavors can have a dramatically different price ($7-$18). Whole Foods has a knock-off of the original formula but I wasn’t too thrilled by the flavor.
MRM Driven
A pre-workout drink consisting mostly of amino acids. The mix has been designed for maximum muscle performance, with a little sugar to increase the uptake. I would take this before a session of Bikram Yoga and noticed a dramatic difference in my strength and stamina. The two drawbacks are the price and that it can be difficult to find. The best place I’ve found is amazon.com.
Amino Athlete
The same concept as Driven, just in pill form. These are cheaper than Driven and can be found at Vitamin World, Whole Foods, and Elephant Pharm. Another advantage is it doesn’t contain any sugar.
Of course, you can always make your own energy drink:
Basic Oral Hydration Therapy
1 tsp salt
8 tsp sugar
5 c (1 L) water
This is mostly used to help someone recover from dehydration, but you can add Kool Aid, or lemonade (eliminate the extra sugar) to make it a bit more palatable.
Switchel
1 gal. water
2 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 c. vinegar
1 tsp. ginger
This was the standard “switchel” carried to the fields to quench the thirst of crews of haymakers. Maple syrup or boiled cider was sometimes substituted for molasses.
A lazy person’s version of an energy drink is to simply add a teaspoon of baking soda to a large glass of orange juice or lemonade.
No matter which product you use, just make sure you’re drinking 1-3 ounces of (non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic) fluids per pound of body weight each day.
P.S. An easy method to determine if you’re dehydrated is to pinch the skin on the back of your hand, then let go. If it springs back into place, then you’re fine. If it takes a second or two, then you’re definitely dehydrated. If it doesn’t roll back at all it is time to head to the emergency room for some intravenous saline. (The technique works on dogs, too. Just pinch the skin on the top of their head.)
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One Response to “Drink Gatorade, Get Fat”
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June 14th, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Thanks for the research on that article. I find that many young athletes are opting to get more energy from some of the new energy drinks. That is a shame since they provide little real energy and the health consequences are not so good.
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