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The next time you make the trip to your local grocery store, check the beverages aisle. Most of the time sports / energy drinks have their own wall or large section. For some time now, sports drinks have been around to "improve the modern athlete", while energy drinks have made their mark only recently. Granted, sports beverages have a flavor for everyone and claim to have several health benefits, but in reality how much of this is sellers talk and what good can be taken from use of these products? Two big topics that are associated with the purchase of drinks are discussed here.

1.) Cost Effectiveness

In the midst of hard economic times and a rising cost of living, is it really smart to be purchasing something that should almost be free? Water has long been known to be the core to life, and being that it is natural and quite abundant it is nearly free from the tap. With advancements in science and technology we as a society have learned more about the human body and what it can and cannot do. In this same society we have also been plagued in a sense by media into thinking perfection of the body is the only way to be successful. The sports beverage industry plays off of this and associates super-star athletes and celebrities
with their product, claiming that your use of the drink will in some way make you more likely to succeed. Granted, some of these drinks do have great advantages (i.e. Gatorade is a great source of electrolytes that can help with recovery and stamina while exercising, yet it is also loaded with sugar and well overpriced), though it isn't essential to life. If you have the option to choose between the powder or pre-mixed drink, choose the powder. You will get more product for less money, and you can have the luxury of perfecting the taste to your liking (1 gallon packet of powder is typically $1.50, while a 24 pack of 20oz bottles is approximately $25. You do the math.)

2.) Nutritional Value

Before Gatorade, most athletes stuck to water and their diet to give them all the nutrients they needed, and while the times have changed the basics have not - water is the superior drink. If your diet and or workout regimen requires the use of a sports beverage, choose a flavor light in taste (one that is diluted so to speak), in this way you can avoid the sugary rush that is all too commonly associated with a 'crash'. Electrolytes are beneficial in a sports drink, especially when your exercising
to the point where you are losing them excessively (such as sodium or potassium). Gatorade is good in this regard, but when taking part in regular day-to-day activities, water is just as effective as Gatorade or its competitors in hydration and electrolyte maintenance. While Gatorade doesn't have MS-G's
or anything like that, it does have twice the sodium as a standard sports drink and thus provokes the taste mechanism associated with everyones brain and mouth (do you really need the extra sodium now?). Yet, if push comes to shove when dealing with hydration, and a sports drink will get one to consume the proper amount necessary to be hydrated, then the benefits certainly outweigh the negatives.

So the next time you take that ginger stroll through the sports beverage section, think twice about what kind of activities you will be partaking in. Is your body and pocketbook going to get more harm than good out of your decision? Think about it!

Learn more about this author, Kyle Rolf.
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