Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When I'm doing a long or intense bike ride, I'll use something with more calories like GU2O or Hammer Gel. I drink Gatorade immediately after intense workouts.
When I get home, I usually make some kind of protein drink with either rice protein or hemp seed protein.
I don't eat simple sugars in my daily life so these type of products work for me when I need them
Gatorade isn't all that its chalked up to be. Its mostly just sugar water. Has very miniscule amount of potassium. You can get more potassium from a banana, orange or baked potato. Water works just as well for rehydrating unless you are a professional athlete. Most people that drink Gatorade don't even exercise.
Gatorade isn't all that its chalked up to be. Its mostly just sugar water. Has very miniscule amount of potassium. You can get more potassium from a banana, orange or baked potato. Water works just as well for rehydrating unless you are a professional athlete. Most people that drink Gatorade don't even exercise.
+1 To add to this, the whole electrolyte depletion science/theory is based upon some pretty shaky science (science that was funded by Gatorade, BTW). Your body is actually pretty darn good at regulating its electrolyte levels on its own, and plain water is just as good for fluid replacement.
Unless you are some awesome athletic needing to replenish yourself asap like someone in the NBA, there is no reason why you need Gatorade. Nothing is better for you than water. I can't understand why so many people hate drinking water. I drink at least a gallon a day at work.
I drink Gatorade while I work out b/c I tend to sweat a lot, and thus lose a lot of sodium when I exercise. But I never buy the bottles, I always mix it myself. I find that it replenishes me much more than water alone, which I also drink in abundance. But I agree that it should not be drunk as a regular drink.
The years I coached my step son in Little League, we always had bottled water for the kids. It was Encino Little league and for those of you who are aware of the San Fernando Valley know that it gets HOT (both during regular season and during Fall Ball). If parents wanted their kids to drink gatorade it was fine, but for the most part, we always had lots of bottled water in the dugout for the kids.
I drink Gatorade while I work out b/c I tend to sweat a lot, and thus lose a lot of sodium when I exercise. But I never buy the bottles, I always mix it myself. I find that it replenishes me much more than water alone, which I also drink in abundance. But I agree that it should not be drunk as a regular drink.
Here is the thing though: As much of a "salty sweater" that you think you are, sweat is still a hypotonic solution. What this means is that for every ounce of sweat you produce, you are excreting more water than sodium from your body. If your body is losing more water than it is sodium over time, one would expect sodium levels to INCREASE, not decrease as the makers of Gatorade would have you believe.
This has been extensively studied over the years....the vast majority of the experiments conclude that serum/blood electrolyte levels (like sodium) do not change in endurance athletes over many hours of intense exercise in hot conditions (e.e. Ironman triathletes doing a race in South Africa).
Since its said many people overconsume sodium in their diet there is probably no reason to replace what little they lose in exercise with a electrolyte drink. You will normally replace any lost sodium when you eat your next meal. When I sweat I only have trouble with my potassium levels which is a little harder to replace since I'm allergic to bananas. But Gatorades potassium level is so low its worthless. Its basically a glorified soft drink that is hyped by pro athletes and sells easily to kids because of the pretty colors.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
