Which Workout Beverage is Best?

Wondering what you should be drinking for your workouts?  Check the facts about our main workout beverages and see if your beverage matches up with your workouts. 

Water

Studies have shown that water is the best source of hydration pre-workout, during workout, and post workout.   Water will keep you hydrated without the addition of any fats and calories to your daily intake.  Your muscles need water for strength and flexibility. Your joints need water to prevent stiffness and your brain needs water to send messages, like how to regulate your body temperature.

Muscle Milk

Caution should be taken when consuming drinks such as Muscle Milk.  The name itself leads you to believe it will help you build muscle and/or lose weight.  In fact this product can actually do the exact opposite.  Muscle milk contains very high amounts of calories, fat and sodium which can lead to weight gain.  Muscle milk does provide a large amount of protein. However, if we are taking in too much protein throughout the day most of it will actually be stored in the body as fat!

Gatorade/Powerade

Gatorade is helpful during your workout if you are planning on doing a high intensity cardio routine that will exceed 60 minutes. Gatorade helps to replace some of the electrolytes and carbohydrates lost.  Keep in mind most bottles of Gatorade contain 2 servings.  This means you need to double the values listed on the nutrient facts label if you drink the whole bottle. Another reason to consider Gatorade before a workout is if you haven’t taken in any carbohydrates prior to your workout. Ideally you should take in carbs from a food source rather than a beverage source, but our workouts are mainly fueled by carbohydrates and if you don’t have access to any good carbohydrate snacks a serving of Gatorade will work. 

Protein Supplements

Protein drinks are typically not necessary for pre or post workout drinks.  Many protein supplements contain a high caloric and fat content which can lead to weight gain.  Most individual will not need to supplement protein because they are able to get their proper protein intake through a regular well balanced diet

Workout Supplements

 Caution should be taken when consuming any type of workout supplement because most of them are not regulated by the FDA and have lengthy lists of side effects.  Most of the ingredients necessary for increased workout performance can be taken in through a regular well balanced diet.  Always check with your physician before taking any type of workout supplement.  Many contain unsafe ingredients, especially when taken with other medications.