Who hear doesn't love Gatorade?! Who here doesn't love an ice cold Monster or Amp energy drink? And of course who doesn't love good old faithful water. Now two of the three of these are obviously proven to be good for you and the other is pretty much meant to give you a quick boost but really has no health or hydrating effects.....and probably does worse for you....and yes I'm talking about the good old energy drink you can buy at subway on your way to the gym. But are they good...Hell yea! Do I love um......YES! But ladies and gentleman...they're not going to help you like water or Gatorade. Your better of drinking a cup of coffee for your caffeine fix because it at least doesn't have the carbonation an energy drink does and won't make you gassy and bloated.(Which is something you don't want to be at the gym... for many reasons)
So now that I've completely crushed you appetite for an energy drink before the gym I'll try and make you feel better. We all have heard tons of different things about when and when not to have Gatorade. Before your workout during or even after. But after reading an article in the NY times based on the conclusion's form the Army's Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass., it might not eve matter.
The fact is if your eating right, maintaining a balanced diet, and drinking plenty of water throughout the day, you shouldn't;t have any problem whether you drink water or Gatorade. But there's a catch. They said that Gatorade would be good if you were participating in strenuous activities we'll say lasting over an hour and we sweating a fair amount. In moderate weather, they concluded that an average person will sweat out about a quart of water. Which we all know when your sweating its not just water your body is losing but also other minerals and salt. Now Gatorade would be effective for strenuous activities lasting over an hour where your body is being pushed and sweating at the same time to replenish lost vitamins and minerals and give you a short sugar burst.
So pretty much here's the deal, if your eating the way you should be, drinking plenty of fluids and not signing up for a daily marathon, water should be just fine to replenish your body of what it needs. But if you do find yourself bringing a bottle of Gatorade to the gym, I'm pretty sure it's not going to hurt you and probably will be more refreshing than water. So do what I do sometimes, Bring both! But, you always need to remember, your body is made up of 60-70% water, not Gatorade, and definitely not energy drinks.
Good blog...Ive always wondered about whether or not gatorade was good for you. Personally, I cant stand the stuff and for some reason it always makes me more thirsty...I prefer water.
ReplyDeleteGood post, I have also heard about different times that gatorade would be better and thought that between halftime of my games were the best option. I don't always like the strong taste of gatorade, so I tend to mix it with water to dilute it anyways. Did they say anything about that being any different than just straight gatorade or water? Either way i prefer water when i workout, but during games I like a little bit of gatorade for that quick tasteful drink.
ReplyDeleteThe problem that a lot of people have with gatorade since the introduction of G2 is the calories. Those calorie counters out there wouldn't drink it because it was loaded with carbs and sugar which makes sense, yet it does have various benefits for you along with tasting pretty good. Not only does it hydrate you it replenish's your electrolyte stores which are depleted when sweating. When you put back that sodium and pottasium that you lose, it allows your muscles to be replenished as well. Cramping occurs due to this. I love water don't get me wrong I drink a lot of it, but I'll support gatorade especially in endurance activites compared to anaerobic activities.
ReplyDeleteI love gatorade and water and thats usually what i take with me to the gym, but i have tried several times to bring an energy drink with me to the gym thinking it would help me out but i dont like the taste of them, it reminds me of fizzy smarties or something ahah so i guess its a good thing after all that i dont like them.
ReplyDeleteVery nice blog.. I usually drink water after the gym or playing basketball.. I usually do not like the test of Gatorade, probably only a few kinds anyways. I def. prefer water, nothing like good quality H20..
ReplyDeleteGood topic Nick. Hydration is extremely important for athletes no matter what the sport. One thing that is pretty interesting is Gatorade actually has a chart that tells you how you should hydrate yourself before, during, and after an athletic performance and it actually tells you that you should drink water along with the Gatorade to get optimum hydration!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely an interesting topic because many people while working out resort to energy drinks or gatorade to replenish their thirst. This sometimes is a bad idea especially for people trying to lose weight because these drinks can be loaded with extra calories that while you spend time trying to burn them your just putting them back on by drinking it. Why not just go to the water fountain or bring a bottled water to hydrate. However I feel that people that are extremely athletic should definitely use these kind of drinks because they contain electrolytes which would be especially important for them to replenish after a race or strenuous workout.
ReplyDeleteI used to drink alot of gatorade, although now I'm not such a big fan of it. I was always having to dillute it down, because I can't stand anything sweet, it makes me sick to my stomach. Gatorade claims to be a healthy sports drink and I'm sure it has some benefits, but at the same time, it's loaded with high fructose corn syrup(which can be damaging to insulin levels) and artificial colorings and flavorings. Another thing that some people probably know already is that it doesn't contain any real fruit juice.
ReplyDeleteIf I have to drink Gatorade I'll either water it down or get a Gatorade G2, which has half the amount of sugar as regular Gatorade.
I agree that the sugar level of Gatorade can often be overwhelming and I too tend to water it down or opt for G2. I think that during vigourous exercise Gatorade is a good option to replace lost electrolytes, but I think many people today, especially children drink even though it is not really necessary.
ReplyDeleteLike Greg has mentioned, diluting Gatorade, by mixing half with water, is a great way to enjoy some of the benefits and still get the taste. This also allows you to split your servings of Gatorade up throughout the day. I have never looked into it but by diluting a regular Gatorade, you may be just making your own G2. I'm not quite sure how the calories and vitamins compare between the two. Anyways, although I enjoy water very much I always like to drink a Gatorade during my workouts, especially when I perform cardio or a high intensity strength workout. I find that it gives me more energy. I tend to stay away from the energy drinks because I tend to crash hard from them half way through my workouts.
ReplyDeleteI love water! I always find that what I crave is the flavor, but if I drink water before I drink juice or soda that craving goes away, I think becuse I was really just thirsty and water is the absolut best for thirst!
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