So what makes a sports drink different from your everyday thirst quencher? Designed to be used during exercise, sports drinks are made of water and 7 - 9 percent carbohydrate, the optimum ratio to help your body absorb fluid and maintain physical and mental energy. And some drinks include vital nutrients such as branched-chain amino acids.
Whether or not you need one of these power-packed liquids depends on how you work out. "If you're exercising for less than an hour, water is more than adequate," says Liz Applegate, PhD and sport nutritionist at the University of California, Davis near Sacramento, Calif. "In exercise over an hour, a sports drink improves endurance, reaction time and concentration because carbohydrates are being used by both the brain and muscle." She recommends half a cup or so every 15 minutes. "Fruit juice and sodas are upward of 12 to 15 percent carbohydrate," she says, "and that's not what you want during exercise."
Sports drinks can also help during a shorter workout if you haven't eaten for several hours. "Chances are, you will have a better workout, exercise more intensely and longer if you have a sports drink when you're going into a workout hungry," says Applegate. In this case, she recommends a cup or two before or during your workout. "We're only looking at about 60 calories in a cup," she says, "and I'd advise against consuming something from a vending machine that's high in fat.”
While a quality sports drink can pick you up during a tough workout, Applegate advises an honest assessment: "If you're just five minutes into your workout and you feel exhausted, you may be out of shape or already tired from a day of work," she observes. What's important is that you stay in tune with your body and exercise safely.
