What is an Electrolyte Drink?
As the name implies, an electrolyte drink contains electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride that are lost through sweat during heavy exercise. Some of the more common electrolyte drinks available at grocery stores include Gatorade and Powerade. The problem with popular electrolyte drinks such as these is they’re usually loaded with sugar and often colored and flavored with artificial dyes and flavorings. These drinks are also expensive, and if you guzzle a few every time you work out, the costs can really add up. The advertisers cleverly play of the benefits of these drinks, and it’s easy to get sucked into buying them.
Isn’t Water Good Enough?
In cases where you’re exercising less than two hours at a moderate intensity in a cooler environment, water is a perfectly acceptable way to rehydrate. It’s unlikely you’re going to deplete stores of electrolytes under these circumstances since you lose more water than electrolytes when you sweat. Plus, the kidneys have their own way of conserving sodium when too much is lost through sweat.
On the other hand, if you’re planning on exercising for longer than two hours at a stretch in a warm environment or you’ll be doing a high-intensity workout in a hot environment, replacing lost electrolytes becomes more of an issue. In this case, drinking an electrolyte drink to replace sodium, potassium, and chloride that are lost through heavy sweating is beneficial.
Make Your Own Electrolyte Drink
Even in these cases, you don’t have to buy expensive electrolyte or sports drinks. Make your own by diluting fruit juice with water and add ½ teaspoon of salt to each cup. It’s all natural with no added dyes or artificial flavorings, and it’s cheap. You can find a lot of recipes on the internet on exactly how to make your own electrolyte drinks. If you have a history of high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before drinking beverages with added sodium.
Another electrolyte-rich drink that’s growing in popularity as a sports drink is coconut water, which shouldn’t be confused with coconut milk. It’s a good source of electrolytes that are lost through sweating, and it’s sugar-free. It’s even been used historically as an intravenous fluid to replace fluids and electrolytes in patients. It’s also low in fat and calories and is growing in popularity among people who work out. You can find it at many grocery stores these days.
Electrolyte Drink vs. Water?
If you’re working out at a moderate-intensity for less than 2 hours, and the temperature and humidity aren’t high, water is all you need. If you’ll be working out hard in the summer sun for longer periods of time, an electrolyte drink gives you an extra layer of safety if you’ll be sweating profusely during your workout.
Not everyone likes the taste of water, and if drinking an electrolyte drink encourages you to stay well-hydrated, it’s a good choice as long as you don’t choose one that’s too high in sugar. These drinks aren’t calorie-free, and if you sip enough of them, the calories add up. Try low-calorie coconut water instead of a commercial sports drink that’s high in sugar.
References:
Exercise Physiology. Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance. Fifth edition. 2001.
Exercise Physiology. Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance. Seventh edition. 2009.
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Thanks for the tip! I didn’t even know you could make your own electrolyte drinks. This really helps.
Good to know! I never do the electrolyte drinks, and usually just take some Gu gels along with my water for the longer runs. Maybe I’ll do a bit of fruit juice in my water now that it’s getting hotter.
Hello,
I can’t stress enough the importance of drinking an electrolyte drink. I am a Navy Nurse and worked with the marines during their officer candidate school and physical fitness training exercises. We gave them electrolyte packets to put in their canteens of water and saw fewer heat related casualties.
Also, before we started giving them the electrolyte packets, we were stressing to them to drink water, drink water! We actually had one marine bring in his buddy for mental confusion. We did some blood work on him and he was hyponatremic-(low blood sodium level-which can cause mental confusion). He was drinking too much water and flushing out his sodium. We gave him sodium chloride intravenously and his condition improved.
-I know I perform better and feel better after exercising when I drink and electrolyte drink. I use the sugar free electrolyte drink called “Replenish” and it’s calorie free. I also sweat more when I drink an electrolyte drink, but that’s good, it means my body is cooling itself down.
Keep in mind too, when exercising that your body is looking for simple sugars to burn. So sugar free electrolyte drinks aren’t always the best option. I only drink them because I take other nutritional supplements before I work out which contain simple sugars. If your body can’t find simple sugars to break down during exercise, it starts breaking down muscle and this can lead to a serious conditon known as rhabdomyolysis. We saw this in some of the marines as well and they needed to be taken away from training and hospitalized for a few days.
Great article! I normally have water in my camelbak if the ride is under an hour. Over an hour and heavy sweating I can feel it, my feet will start to cramp if I don’t have something other then water. Awesome advice on salt…if I don’t have my favorite mix, I’ll cut up a lemon or lime plus some sea salt and mix it up for my ride.
Please be sure to use a raw sea salt; regular refined table salt will not provide the minerals you need – raw sea salt will. In my opinion one of the best is PRL’s Pink Salt at http://www.purebodysolutions.com. I believe you have to create a login to view it and/or purchase it. It tastes great – a little goes a long way – and it is good for you.
I wish I could begin to trust those that market items for the consumer with more confidence. I’m glad I like water!
Thanks for this very informative article Cathe. The question of sports drinks vs water has always been a matter of confusion for me, and just recently I bought some Gatorade and saw how high in sugar and calories it was. I’m definitely going to look into the coconut water option and making my own electrolyte drink. Thanks again for the info!
I tried coconut water yesterday…YUM!!!! It is very high in potassium, which I always score low in on the nutrition program! Thanks for the tip!