SPORTS DRINKS

When a workout period exceeds 60 minutes, sports drinks can be beneficial because they provide a source of fuel for working muscles and will speed the absorption of water and glucose (sugar) from the small intestine. Sports beverages are recommended for activities lasting longer than one hour. (Drink plain water before or during activities lasting 60 minutes or less). With sports drinks, continued exercise won't deplete muscle glycogen as fast and performance time may be lengthened. Sports drinks can also help reduce recovery time by rapidly restoring muscle glycogen after exercise. Sports drinks are also beneficial when exercising in high heat or humidity, the electrolytes help to enhance fluid absorption.

Sports drinks are helpful before, during and after exercise. Sports beverages are scientifically formulated to help restore the essential fluids, energy, and minerals your body loses during exercise. The carbohydrate concentration and sodium combination in a sports drink assures rapid hydration and improved performance.

Sports Drinks can also be helpful after exercise because that is when an athlete is unlikely to make appropriate selections, or does not eat enough because of a decrease in appetite, or when the right foods are unavailable. Keep in mind that it is not easy to eat a diet which is 70% carbohydrate (ounce for ounce, carbohydrates contain less than half the calories of fats), so the volume of food that you have to consume may be enormous. In that respect, sports drinks can be extremely helpful. They allow you to consume large amounts of carbohydrate without providing much bulk.

For athletes who compete at all day events such as track meets, swimming meets, or basketball, volleyball and wrestling tournaments, obtaining nutritious food may be difficult. In these cases, sports beverages can be used to provide a quickly digestible source of nutrients.

Keep the following in mind when choosing a sports beverage for yourself or for your athletes:

1. Sports drinks containing between 14-19 grams of carbohydrates (6-8% carbohydrates) and 50-80 calories per 8-ounce serving are appropriate before or during activities lasting longer than 60 minutes. The carbohydrates and electrolytes can help increase the rate of fluid absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. In long duration activity, carbohydrates can also delay onset of fatigue.
2. The optimal sugar (carbohydrate) solution is 6-8%. A sports drink with greater than 10% sugar solution contains too many carbohydrates, absorption may be slowed and nausea, cramps or diarrhea can result. The greater the quantity or concentration of the food or beverage you ingest, the slower your stomach will empty its contents, reducing the amount of fluid you are able to absorb. Less fluid absorption means greater risk of dehydration and a higher body temperature. Under these conditions, your performance will suffer. Sugars in soft drinks and fruit juice are more concentrated: 10 to 15 percent carbohydrate. They aren't recommended during exercise because of their high sugar content and, for soft drinks, their carbonation. Dilute soft drinks and fruit juices to half-strength if you drink them during prolonged workouts and competition. A sports drink with less than 5% sugar solution, is too weak of a concentration and may not provide your muscles with enough energy to increase exercise duration and thus can affect performance.
3. If you'd like to determine if a drink falls in the 6 to 8 % carbohydrate range, use the formula as follows:

• Find the grams of carbohydrate and serving size (in milliliters—ml) on the label (8 ounces is about 240 ml).
• Divide the grams of carbohydrate by the serving size (ml) and multiply by 100 to determine percent of carbohydrate.

Example: 14 grams carbohydrate x 100 = 6%

240 ml

   D.  Select sports drinks that contain glucose, glucose polymers, moltodextrin or sucrose as the carbohydrate source per 8-ounce serving. Sucrose and glucose have been proven effective in delivering energy and stimulating the rate of fluid absorption. Beverages containing fructose (sugar in fruit) as the only source of carbohydrates may cause abdominal discomfort and is not a good choice for rapid muscle glycogen synthesis.

   E.  There's no need to buy sports drinks with extra vitamins. You don't lose vitamins when you sweat! And the vitamins you   need are supplied easily by a varied diet plan.

Recommendations when taking a sports beverage:

The quality of carbohydrate needed to improve performance can easily be met by consuming a sports beverage under the following recommendations:

Before exercise:

• Drink 8 to 24 ounces of a sports beverage 2-4 hours before exercise or
• Drink at least 4 to 8 ounces of a sports beverage immediately before exercise

During exercise:

• Drink 4 to 8 ounces of a sports beverage every 15-20 minutes after the first 30 minutes of exercise

After exercise:

• Drink at least 8 to 16 oz of fluid after exercise. (drink 2 cups of fluid for every pound lost after exercise)
• Consume or drink 40-60 grams of carbohydrate ASAP or within the first 30 minutes after exercise, and at 2 hour intervals up to 4 hours after exercise