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Sports Drink vs Water

pie_eyes
pie_eyes Posts: 12,965 Member
Sports drinks contain water, electrolytes, potassium and some contain vitamins like Body Armor

Water is just water

Let the debate beginnn...

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Replies

  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
    What are we debating?
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    Each has their uses.

    After I do endurance events (ranging from 6 to 24+ hours), just water doesn't cut it for me. I need potassium and sodium. I normally do Gatorade and Pedialyte.

    For everyday drinking, I usually do water. I don't want to overload on electrolytes when I'm not actively using them like I do during races/endurance events.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
    What's the debate now? What we prefer? Which one is better? Is this like pirates vs ninja meme?

    Water has no calories. I can get the other stuff from food.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Um, they are both fine for proper use?

    I mostly drink water (or coffee or unsweetened tea/iced tea or diet pop sometimes), but have included sports drinks as part of my fueling plan for endurance events, like the poster above explains.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If I'm doing a long run or exercising outdoors on a very hot day, sports drinks are great. Other times, I just go with water. On most days, I get my electrolytes and vitamins from food.
  • DKG28
    DKG28 Posts: 299 Member
    um, calories vs. no calories. Sports Drinks serve a purpose, but can be high in calories, as much so as Soda. I know people who assume they are just fortified, artificially flavored water and drink the stuff like crazy. Read the labels.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I have Crohn's disease and when I am flaring and um going like 30 times a day I drink a lot of diet sports drinks like G2 or powerade zero as I am losing a lot of electrolytes
  • Holly_Wood_888
    Holly_Wood_888 Posts: 264 Member
    DKG28 wrote: »
    um, calories vs. no calories. Sports Drinks serve a purpose, but can be high in calories, as much so as Soda. I know people who assume they are just fortified, artificially flavored water and drink the stuff like crazy. Read the labels.

    This

  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Sports drinks work 'in context'. Though most of them carry unnecessary additives like colouring and caffeine.

    Make your own by buying a box of glucose from the pharmacist, add salt, water and some kind of fruit concentrate that won't upset your stomach, to provide electrolytes.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Brawndo.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    What's the debate?

    Sports drinks come in handy if you are working hard. They have sometimes a lot of calories. Water is probably best for everything else and fits easily into any calorie budget.

    Vitamins should chiefly come from a balanced diet.

    One is not necessarily better than the other.

    Personally I only use sports drinks when I am working very hard and sweating a lot.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    each have their own uses
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    Sports drinks are great after an endurance event or heavy endurance training but, IMO, completely unnecessary for your average daily workout.

    If you're eating well, you should be taking in vitamins and electrolytes throughout the day and that should be plenty to cover your run of the mill daily workout....there's a big difference between me going out for a 60 minute ride and doing a 1/2 century...the former I wouldn't worry about, the latter I would need to get some fast energy (sugar) in me and replenish those electrolytes ASAP.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    I agree with others that each have their uses. I primarily drink water and get the other nutrients from food throughout my day. However, I am extremely prone to dehydration, so I alternate water with Gatorade on longer hikes on hot days. It is the only way I can stay hydrated. At that point I care much more about not getting heat stress than the extra calories.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    One of the benefits of sports drinks such as gatorade (can't comment on the others) is increased palatability. The osmolarity of the beverage along with the flavor causes some people to drink more than they would if only drinking water. So the benefit is fuller hydration, independent of any other claimed benefits from the fuel or the electrolytes.

    I'm not saying this means that sport drinks are better, but it is one of the designed benefits that many people are not aware of.
  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
    MissusMoon wrote: »
    Brawndo.

    THE THIRST MUTILATOR!
  • Dr1nkbleachndye
    Dr1nkbleachndye Posts: 441 Member
    Coconut water>Sports Drinks
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    Coconut water>Sports Drinks

    Can you explain why. I don't drink sports drinks and use coconut water in my protein smoothie pre-workout but I'm wondering what the benefits are in your opinion.
  • Dr1nkbleachndye
    Dr1nkbleachndye Posts: 441 Member
    edited May 2016
    luluinca wrote: »
    Coconut water>Sports Drinks

    Can you explain why. I don't drink sports drinks and use coconut water in my protein smoothie pre-workout but I'm wondering what the benefits are in your opinion.
    great amount of potassium. I'm doing I/F, but I literally would have to throw in the towel without the miracle that is Coconut water during my workouts. I normally do a spin class immediately after weightlifting. My weightlifting workouts are severe enough for me to go hypo, then after that I do spin. So between the little bit of sugar, and amount of potassium, it has everything we need in it to survive two hours of working out.

    Considering how low the calories are and what you are getting in return, it should be a no brainer for anyone who is extremely active and typically relies on "sports" drinks in order to make it through their workouts, or physical activity. I like to make sure that my workout fuel doesnt have many empty or wasted calories, for a drink, there aren't many better then coconut water and it is natural.

    this is just a webmd article, but true and informative nonetheless http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/truth-about-coconut-water

    It is a god send for me.

    Now if you really have the stones, you can add pink Himalayan salt to your water for an awesome potassium/sodium ratio which will benefit you tremendously when working out or being active. But it is salt and water, so the taste might not be for the faint of heart. Now you might say wouldn't that make you even more thirsty, not if you keep your ratio right. The only reason why I won't use pink Himalayan salt in the gym is because I need a touch of carbs/sugar to keep from going hypo
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Sometimes the calories are a plus, as when you are using them as part of a fueling plan.