Sports Drinks Facts

What is a sports drink?  

A sports drink is typically an electrolyte replenishment drink.  It usually has all the essential electrolytes in it to help your body recover what it lost.  There are tons of different kinds of sports drinks on the market and we have all seen the athletes drinking from sports drink bottles.  Which one should you choose?  The ingredients in most all sports drinks are the same but the amount of “filler” (ie flavoring and coloring) that is put into them and the amount of electrolytes is what differentiates them.  Here we are going to talk about a few sports drinks facts.

Water- Why not just drink water and save yourself a few dollars?  Sports drinks offer things that water cannot and this is above just providing electrolytes.  Most sports drinks have sugar and carbohydrates in them.  The sugar isn’t too much that it is going to spike your insulin levels and cause you to crash.  The carbohydrates are there to help replenish what your body has lost and to keep you going.

Sports Drink Fact 1

Sugar- It was mentioned earlier in the article that most sports drinks contain sugar.  In reality sports drinks usually contain about half the amount of sugar that real juice has in it.  This small amount of sugar is usually just enough to get a small spike in insulin production which in turn helps the body absorb glucose which will help your performance.

  Sports Drink Fact 2

Sodium (salt) - Sodium is actually an electrolyte so it would make sense that most sports drinks have sodium in them.  Sodium is needed in the body because it helps to retain water.  You can drink all the water that you want but if your body isn't absorbing it you will still become dehydrated.  Low sodium can cause all sorts of problems like: confusion, headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.  So you can see that your bodyneeds sodium and if you are sweating that means you are losing sodium, so you need to replace it.

Soda- Is soda good to drink instead of water or sports drinks?  Simple answer is no.  Most sodas have caffeine in them and this does increase your energy level and it may seem to help you out.  But the truth is that caffeine is a diuretic and will actually cause you to become more dehydrated.  Your body will start to shed water and electrolytes and even though you are drinking you are still becoming dehydrated.

Sports Drink Fact 3

Natural Sports Drinks- These are a good alternative to to normal sports drinks.  Some of the bigger companies have actually started to move towards the natural side.  some of the natural ingredients that they are using are all natural sea salt for the sodium.  All natural sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup, which we have all heard bad things about.  And lastly all natural fruit flavors.  Now does being all natural really help when it comes to sports drinks.  It does because of the fact that natural ingredients are easier for your body to absorb and to process.  Our bodies are designed for all natural foods and when we start over processing and adding preservatives it slows our bodies ability to digest and absorb the nutrients.

Sports Drink Fact 4

Sports drinks- drink all you want- This is just not true.  As stated previously sports drinks contain sugar, carbs and sodium.  If you aren’t working out your body will absorb these ingredients and try to store them for later (which is called fat).  For most people, people who aren't exercising, just drinking water is the best solution.  People are still going to drink sports drinks whenever they want because they taste good, they are a bit healthier than some of the alternatives, and people just don't have all the sports drink facts that they need.  But keep in mind that they do contain some ingredients that if you don’t burn them off they will contribute to weight gain.

These are just a few of the sports drink facts that a lot of people do not realize or do not understand.  Do you really need to drink sports drinks?  That is up to you and your body to decide.  I personally like drinking them because they really do quench your thirst better than water does and they help me from cramping after some of my long runs.  If you don't like to spend a couple of dollars per drink, I know I don't, there are a number of bulk sports drink mixes that are really good.  I use a drink mix that you just mix into your water bottle.

As always please visit our site- improve-your-running.com, thanks.

The Next Step

The next step to being a good runner is to have a good plan.  When people think of running they think that just going out and doing it is what your supposed to do.  And that is how a lot of people get injured.  A good training plan can keep you from getting injured which in turn can keep you running.  If you keep running then you can stay fit and keep losing weight, if that is your goal. 

There are a lot of training guides that tell you how to run.   The basics are to not go to hard to fast.  If you are just beginning then you should really start off with a walk/jog routine before you try to run a half-marathon.  Also if you are just starting out things may seem to go to slow for you and what you don't want to do is skip steps.

There is a rule that you shouldn't add more than 10% to your mileage per week and this is a great rule to live by.  Even experienced runners try to stay within 10%.  However once you start running 30, 40, and 50 miles or more per week then that 10% is actually quite a bit.  But for beginners 10% on a regular 5k training plan is not that much and it may be discouraging to see that you aren't adding mileage that fast.  But again just stick with the training plan and eventually the mileage will add up.

One final thought on the training plan is the rest days that should be scheduled in.  The rest days a very important for your body.  Although you might not feel tired or sore your body needs those days to recover from running.  Even with the best form running is still tough on your body because of all the muscles involved with it.  Take those rest days to evaluate how you feel and to review your training plan for the upcoming week.  

Here are a couple of good training plans to try:
5K training plan for beginners: click here
Half marathon training for beginners: click here
Marathon training guide: click here

A fast runner is an efficient runner!

A fast runner is an efficient runner!

Have you been prone to running injuries?  Have you been looking for ways to improve your running times?  Are you thinking about taking lessons to become a better/faster runner?

Running form doesn't simply change overnight.  However you can start the change right now.  Changing the way you run can really affect your muscles.  You will be using muscles that you haven't used before.  Stretching is a key element in ensuring that you don't sprain or strain your muscles as you transition into you new running form.

Running Stretches

Stretching after running is a vital part of the transition to your new running form.  The body gets used to a certain movement and when you change that it tends to hurt.  The possibility of injuries goes up if you don't take your time and transition slowly and properly.  Changing your running form isn't something that can happen over night.  Stretching post run is a great way to minimize the risk of injury.

There are also various strength exercises that you can do to help your body adapt to your new running form.  Ab workouts are great to help maintain your posture on those long runs.  Calf raises are also great since you will be changing the way you land on your feet.

Below are some sample stretches that are very common and will help you stay injury free.

Get more details on How to Run and Training Programs here.

The Run Faster Method is a simplistic speed program that will develop the explosiveness and speed that you have desired from your athletes.   It is an easy to read e-book and unlimited online access to instructional videos detailing speed drills, strength training, and nutrition proven to improve your speed.