Have you ever wondered whether you should be consuming water or sports drinks while exercising? During the summer, this always becomes a question as the temperature rises and our bodies produce more sweat. You don’t have to look very far to see ads highlighting the newest and best sports beverage. So are the ads true? Do you need sports drinks when you exercise?
The short answer is that most of us do not need anything other than water while working out for 60 minutes or less… But the long answer is more complicated. To explain when water or sports drinks are better for physical activity, the history of why sports drinks were created is important to understand.
In 1965, a coach with the University of Florida’s Gator football team realized that the extreme heat and humidity was decreasing performance of the team players. 
A team of university physicians was brought together to determine how their fatigue could be reduced during the team’s long, strenuous practices. The physicians discovered that the players’ electrolytes and carbohydrates were not being replenished quickly enough, and the first sports drink (what we now know as “Gatorade”) was created. The drink helped to reduce the players’ fatigue and led to a booming industry as other colleges sought the product for their own sports teams. But the key fact to note is that these beverages were created for athletes engaging in long, strenuous work outs in hot, humid conditions(PDF).
Sports drinks were created to meet the unique needs that come from prolonged physical activity—not for the basic rehydration needs that water meets(PDF). Carbohydrates and electrolytes are both lost during physical activity. Carbohydrates are found in a variety of food products including breads and pastas that we often see runners consume as they “carb up” in the days before a competition. “Electrolytes” is really just a fancy word for minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, but these minerals are all important to your body’s makeup, processes, and muscle movement.
Carbohydrates and electrolytes are important for your body’s functioning, especially while working out. However, with proper nutrition and water consumption before, during, and after physical activity of 60 minutes or less, water is all you need to stay hydrated and healthy(PDF). In fact one study found no significant difference in performance between runners consuming water or sports drinks during an 18km (or roughly 11 mile) race(PDF). The consensus by the American College of Sports Medicine and American Academy of Pediatrics is that adults and youth only need sports drinks when engaging in pro-longed physical activity of more than 60 minutes. But this is a much longer amount of time than the majority of U.S. adults or youth exercise on any given day.
Sports drinks may not help performance unless exercising for a long time. But does it really matter whether someone chooses sports drinks over water? Yes. In order to provide the needed carbohydrates to fatigued athletes, many sports drinks contain some form of sweetener—often high-fructose corn syrup or another form of sugar(PDF). This makes sports drinks high in both sugar and calories. A 20 ounce bottle of your favorite sports drink can contain 8.5 teaspoons of sugar and over 130 calories(PDF). A 32 ounce bottle (the size most commonly sold in gas station and check-out line fridges) can contain 14 teaspoons of sugar and 200 calories(PDF)!
If you or a loved one is exercising to burn calories or lose extra weight, sports drinks can literally replace the calories you burn during your workout. But this replenishment of calories is exactly what they are intended to do for athletes burning more energy than they are able to replenish. The answer to the question on water vs. sports drinks is this: energy drinks are perfect for those engaging in prolonged physic
al activity over 60 minutes who need to replenish their carbohydrates and electrolytes. But for the average person working out for 60 minutes or less, water is all that is needed to remain hydrated and healthy.
If you have a weight-loss goal or are just exercising to stay “fit” water is the beverage of choice. Let the marathon trainers and athletes use sports drinks to meet their energy needs. The rest of us working out for 30 or 45 minutes after a day at work should drink water.
For optimal water hydration follow these simple guidelines provided by the American Council on Exercise(PDF):
- Begin consuming water 2-3 hours before work-out.
- During your warm-up routine, drink an 8 ounce glass of water
- For every 10-20 minutes you exercise, drink another 10 ounce glass of water
- While cooling down, consume another 8 ounce glass of water
With these tips, you will remain hydrated and healthy by drinking water first for thirst!
