Buying Guide for Sports Drinks
Sports drinks are a category of drinks that have been used by athletes for improving endurance, performance, and recovery time. The benefits of sports drinks are attributed to their high concentration of electrolytes, which are essential to the maintenance of normal body functions. The various sports drinks with electrolytes include sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Sports drinks have become an extremely popular supplement for sports, particularly for athletes of high physical activity.
A sports drink can provide substantial benefits for endurance athletes, who are often at risk for dehydration. Athletes who suffer from dehydration have been shown to experience a wide range of symptoms including muscle cramps, low energy, diminished performance, restricted circulation, and even fainting. Read our informative guide to know more.
Benefits of Buying Sports Drinks
Rehydration
A significant benefit of a healthy sports drink is its ability to help in rehydration, which is especially crucial for athletes. Some people prefer not to drink plain water during a workout. They may find it simpler to fulfil their increased fluid demands during exercise by drinking sports drinks. To replace all the lost water in your body, sports drinks are a good option.
Replaces electrolytes
The electrolyte renewing component of a sports drink outweighs the benefits of drinking water. Electrolytes including sodium, potassium, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and chlorine are all lost when we sweat. If you're always sweating during your workout, your electrolyte levels are very likely to drop and become too low. This can cause muscle cramps, dizziness, and confusion. This is where you need sports drinks.
Increase in sugar
You may require a sugar boost to assist you complete a hard workout. Depending on the sort of activity, intensity, and dietary objectives you have, you should change your sports drink. Sports drinks increase sugar which further leads to increase in energy. But too much of sugar can be harmful to health too.
Easy to carry
Sports beverages are significantly more convenient to transport. If you live on the move, it's always a good idea to have a sports drink bottle in hand. Be ready to drink after or even during strenuous physical exercise. They're available at any shop, petrol station, or even online. Sports drinks are easily found and are very easy to carry around.
Factors to Consider Before Buying Sports Drinks
Sugar
Carbohydrates in sports drinks come from sugar. In sports drinks, sugar has two purposes. It improves the flavour and delivers quick-digesting carbs to keep your muscles going for longer periods of time. Sports drinks with a variety of carbs are more effective than those with only one carbohydrate source. Athletes who require quick-digesting carbs should avoid high-calorie energy drinks. You will not gain energy from a sugar-free, low-carbohydrate sports drink.
Select Based on Activity Intensity
Exercising for more than 45 minutes at a moderate to high effort, such as running, biking, or hiking, can lower your energy. It can deplete sodium and potassium levels. This would make it necessary to use sports drinks. Water moisturises the body but does nothing to replenish sodium or potassium that has been lost. So, you may choose your sports drink accordingly.
Nutrients
Low-calorie sports drinks are low in carbs. This makes them ineffective in boosting energy or performance during competitions. There are many sports drinks for hydration, which aids with maintaining the water balance in the body. Vitamins C, E, and B-6, as well as vitamin B-12, are also present in such drinks. So, you must look into the sports drink nutrition facts before choosing the right one for yourself.
Flavours
Sports drinks are more popular than ever now. Which means you have a wide variety of tastes to pick from. Lemon-lime, fruit punch, orange, berry, citrus, and tropical are some of the flavours available in the market. So you must choose the falvour of your sports drink that soothes your taste buds.
Conclusion
Sports drinks help to support the effects of physical activity. Protein-rich sports drinks, for example, can assist develop muscle, while vitamin D can help maintain normal muscular function. When exercising, it's also crucial to stay hydrated. Due to the prior negative perception of the substances in various sports drinks, natural ingredients and clean labeling are the way of the future. So, you must get a sports drink, for the best results. We review and recommend leading sports drinks brands based on quality, ratings, taste, and ingredients
