Is Gatorade slowing you down?
What does Gatorade & other sports drinks bring to mind? Do you think of chiseled atheletes dripping colored sweat? Do you imagine a stained suit after the super bowl?
It is amazing how deft product marketing can be. The insidious effect is beyond a suggestion to buy the product, rather to expect the product to always be available. Many of us expect a sports drink at our local 5k or on the sideline of our children's game. The product is selling (more than $1 billion annually) and our bodies are processing more sugar, salt, & phosphate than ever.
The British Medical Journal recently featured a discussion on the science of sports drinks from an evidence based perspective. The popularity of sugary, salty drinks to "boost hydration" and "increase performance" should be questioned with evidence. http://www.bmj.com/
We know obesity world-wide is surging, enhanced specifically by calorie heavy, nutrient empty, simple sugars in the diet. We know the negative affects and perfomance limitations of dehydration have been significantly over-blown. We know that consuming calories pre-workout leads to an energy dive, not boost, by the body. We know that protein, not simple carbs are important tool for a post-workout recharge.
What does this mean for you and your family? We would recommend using sports drinks only when activity is aerobic (cardio), strenous AND greater than 45 minutes. It should be consumed in 8oz servings (for adults) with no more than 8oz for every 15min over the 45 threshold. This means a 1 quart bottle of gatorade should be paired with a 2 hour run. If you're drinking more--you're having a sugary treat, not a health drink. Stick with water before and after a workout. Look for lean protein sources post-workout to help rebound for the next day (nuts, poultry, fish, legumes).
I'd like to see your entire family exercising, free from marketing campaigns looking to push product over optimal health.
Posts
