By Jessica Pirnak Year 3, Dietetics

It’s February, which means you’ve had a whole month to stick to your New Years Resolutions. If you’re like most people who want to workout more this year, you have probably noticed other gym users drinking sports drinks while running on a treadmill for half an hour. But does this make sense? 30 minutes of cardio at the gym results in 300 calories being burned. Therefore, if you drink something like Gatorade you are adding 50 calories to your workout and are actually only burning off 250 calories. However, if you’re only trying to rehydrate yourself, are sports drinks the best way to quench your thirst?

What are Sports Drinks?

• Sports drinks are a type of fluid to cool down your body.
• They provide carbohydrates for quick energy.
• And they replace minerals, such as sodium and potassium, which are lost in sweat.

When are Sports Drinks Better Than Water?

• If you are performing high-intensity stop-and-go sports, such as hockey, basketball, and sprint cycling. For athletes, not necessarily gym junkies, water can dilute blood, which can increase urine output and shut off thirst drive. Unfortunately, this scenario will lead to dehydration, which is a very serious issue for athletes.
• When exercise extends beyond 60 minutes the use of sports drinks can offer several advantages over water. For one, the carbohydrates in sports drinks can enhance your performance, and second of all the electrolytes can help maintain blood volume, and enhance the absorption of water and carbohydrates from the intestines – in other words all good things.
• If the weather is hot and humid.
• Or if you sweat a lot and notice cakey white salt lines on your clothes.

Avoid These Liquids When Exercising:

• Alcoholic beverages.
• Highly-caffeinated drinks.
• Carbonated beverages.
• And drinks with a sugar content above 10%, such as soft drinks or fruit juices.

I say, “when exercising” because drinking that morning coffee before hitting the gym can give you a better workout.

Personally, I’m going to stick to water but if I ever decide to run a marathon then I’ll grab a sports drink and the other recommended food products. In 2007 Gatorade introduced a low-calorie version of their original sports drink called G2, which is great except that you are still guzzling 20 calories versus zero with water. Plus water is free – have a good workout!

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