Ever get confused on how to choose the right energy drink? Take a moment and listen to some helpful information that will make a huge difference the next time you may opt for a quick boost. Whether you are hitting the waves for a big session or having a nice walk on the beach, know how to choose the right energy drink to keep you going!

http://www.suzietrainsmaui.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/radioshow/suzie_breakfast_club-8-14-2009.mp3

This audio clip is from the Maui Breakfast Club. Maui’s number one rated talk show every Friday from 7am -8am. Tune In The Maui Breakfast Club: with Tom & Kellie Health & Fitness Specialist, Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trains Maui KAOI 1110 AM Join Tom Blackburn-Rodriguez, Co-Host Kellie Pali and Maui Weekly Special Correspondent Trisha Smith. “If it’s Friday, it’s the Maui Breakfast Club.”

For a more in-depth information,  you can read my article:  How to Choose the Right Energy Drink here.

Thank you for visitng, and I hope you found this post helpful. Be sure to refuel your body and hydrate!

In good health,

Suzie Cooney, CPT

Suzie Trains Maui

Choosing the Right Sports Drink

Selecting the right sports drink that isn’t loaded with sugar and allows your body to tolerate doesn’t have to be confusing.  It’s amazing how many products claim to be the miracle energy savior. Some products that I’ve tried make me feel like I want to immediately brush my teeth, and after I drank them, I craved water to wash them down.

Studies have shown that a fluid loss of just 2% of your body weight can have a negative impact on performance and recovery. For example, dehydration increases your core temperature, decreases blood flow to the skin, can increase your heart rate and the list goes on. Also if you are training in a humid environment like Maui, I encourage my clients to really increase their fluid intake.

Whether you’re just starting to build your endurance/fitness training, or you are training for your 10^th triathalon, sports drinks are designed to help replace the water that is lost when you sweat. They provide carbohydrates that supplement those that are being used up by the body during physical activity. In addition, they help rebuild the electrolytes that are also lost when you sweat.

Many products contain carbohydrates. Again, not important for shorter distances or exercise sessions, but it becomes more important at longer distances when hypoglycemia becomes an issue. Anyone experiencing “bonking” during long training runs can vouch for this. The exact distance with be different for each individual, but it’s a good idea to have a drink with carbs on hand when going over 10 miles.

Electrolytes (salt and potassium) are important because they help to promote fluid retention, prevent hyponatremia (low blood sodium) and muscle cramps. Potassium is an essential nutrient for a healthy body. It’s one of the main electrolytes you need for proper fluid balance within the body, and it’s also important for proper kidney function. I found that electrolytes really help me with intense cramping and nausea.

A note about cramping. Cramping is your body’s final warning signal that you’re on empty electrolyte wise. However, your performance is deteriorating and you are slowing down long before you feel the slightest twinge of a cramp. To keep your body’s muscular, digestive, nervous, and cardiac systems firing on all cylinders you need a consistent supply of all electrolytic minerals, not just sodium and potassium.

Thirst alone is not the best indicator of how much water to drink. On average, one should consume about 96 oz. or 3 quarts of water per day. Roughly the guidelines for an athlete are:

Consume 16 oz of fluid 2 hours before your workout. An additional 8-16 oz may be needed in warmer weather.

Drink 20-40z of fluid for every hour of training.

Fluids should be cold because of more rapid gastric emptying

If you train more than 60 minutes, definitely consume a sports drink (about 8% carbs) to replace both fluid stores and dwindling muscle glycogen stores.

The goal is to replace sweat and urine losses.

Ingest 20 oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after an event or training.

What to Look for

The bestsports drink should give you an energy lift as well as hydration. The difference between sports drinks and other beverages such as soda is that they provide the hydration that is needed without the added sugar. The typical ingredients in sports drinks include: water, sugars in the form of carbohydrates, electrolytes and other things such as flavor and coloring.

I like to recommend the carbohydrate content to be 6-8%. The higher concentrate a sport drink is, the better it will be at replenishing nutrients and providing hydration.

My favorite sports recovery drink is called Recharge. I am not getting paid or compensated to promote it. I discovered that compared to many other brands that have flooded the market, Recharge, made by Knudsen is very low in sugar, tastes great and does not contain sucrose or high fructose corn syrup.

Nor does it contain artificial flavors or sodium citrate.  Recharge contains, filtered water, white grape and apple juice concentrates, herbal tea ( water hibiscus tea)natural flavors and sea salt. It comes in many delicious flavors. Click here, to check out all the flavors.  On Maui, you can buy Recharge at Mana Foods in Paia, Down to Earth and Hawaiian Moon in Kihei.

Common Misconceptions

Don’t be mislead of the idea that sports drinks are the choice for hydration. Sports nutrition specialists still agree, that unless you are burning a high amount of energy and calories as the pros, water is still the preferred way to hydrate.

Interestingly, when some people  drink sports drinks, they tend to drink in larger volumes which in the end tends to lead to better hydration. So, maybe that’s okay. Most of my clients will fall in this category. I often hear that water is boring! I also like to suggest for shorter workouts, mix the two together, if you won’t drink water alone.

Lastly, be careful to watch the energy spikes and crashes in the sports drinks that contain mostly caffeine and lots of sugar. Some contain high doses of niacin which can have side effects, like your skin feeling hot. No thanks!

If you have a comment or would like to recommend a sports drink, we’d like to hear from you.

Suzie

Suzie Trains Maui

Ref: NASM Third Edition

Knudsen Juices