How do Sports Drinks Work to Boost Your Energy?

Sports drinks are the go-to drink option for any sort of athlete. In fact, they are even a good choice for those dealing with a hangover or who are just dehydrated after a hot day.

Though they certainly not the healthiest drink you can have, they have been designed to support you in your recovery – no matter what type of workout you have put your body through.

Sports drinks do differ from energy drinks, as they do not give you a boost of energy via caffeine. What they do offer is more of a recovery experience.

The difference can be confusing, especially when Prime drinks add vitamins to the experience to help you get hydrated while boosting your body with many energy-essential nutrients.

While you may know that sports drinks are great if you are active, you may not actually know why. Understanding the why is and how is of sports drinks can help you better strategize your own needs:

They Have Carbohydrates

One of the biggest reasons why energy drinks like Prime drinks work to boost your energy is the fact that they contain carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates or carbs, despite diet culture’s belief, are critical for a healthy body. Carbs are our main source of energy. When you work out, your body starts first by breaking down existing carbs in your body into what is known as glucose.

That glucose then fuels your muscles. When you work out, you burn through those carbs fast. By drinking a sports drink containing carbs or even glucose, you directly feed your muscles to perform better.

Starving your muscles will only shorten the length of your workout and can actually make your recovery longer than looking at the carbohydrates first. This applies even to those working out as a part of their diet plan.

Working out is to help improve your body’s function, stamina, and strength first and foremost. Your diet outside of the gym and the sports drinks you have is primarily what is going to drive your weight loss. Do not skimp out on carbohydrates and glucose during a workout for safety and results.

They Have Electrolytes

The human body cannot innately take many of the things we eat or drink and use them. You cannot make effective of calcium, for example, without vitamin D. Without that vitamin D, for example, you’d only ever be able to absorb 10% of dietary calcium. The same link applies to water and electrolytes. Without electrolytes, your body pretty much just passes through the water you drink.

Electrolytes are what keep the water in your body. That is why sports drinks are so effective for athletes and those recovering from illness or even a hangover.

So, if you are feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and outright dehydrated and do not seem to be having a lot of luck with the water option near you, then you’ll want to swap for a sports drink instead. This is particularly important in hot areas, so you can make the most out of the water you consume (even if it is in the form of a sports drink).

They are Boosted with Vitamins

Many sports drinks today are boosted with additional vitamins so your body can get full energy power. After all, your body has nuanced systems that need more than carbs and water to run.

Adding vitamin A, B vitamins, and more can help you feel supercharged from head to toe, particularly since the brain is one of the main beneficiaries of a vitamin dose. Vitamins work to help your internal systems, from cognitive function to even your metabolism do a better job more effectively.

They are Hydrating

Last but not least, of course, is that sports drinks are hydrating! When you exercise, you can lose a lot of water. In fact, you can lose up to a liter or two per hour for regular exercise.

Top athletes typically lose a lot more, even if they are not technically doing what many would consider an intense workout. F1 drivers, for example, typically lose up to three liters during a race. That is why it’s so important to stay hydrated, and the delicious taste of a sports drink can keep you motivated to stay hydrated during and after your workouts.

Drinking something flavourful instead of just water also has the added benefit of getting that taste of iron out of your mouth, which can happen after a particularly heavy workout. This can help you feel refreshed in ways that water, ironically, cannot.

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