In our roundup of the best sports drinks, we stressed the importance of staying hydrated while you exercise. Well, actually we stressed the importance of staying hydrated full stop.
Hydration is essential for all aspects of our health but becomes all the more so when you are engaging in intense physical activity. Around half our body is water and this is lost as you train. Not only does that sip of H2O or your selected beverage replenish you mid-workout and rev you up to keep going but it’s as crucial once the HIIT class or run is over to treat your body to the electrolytes that were lost during the sweat sesh.
While the NHS recommends drinking six to eight glasses of fluid each day, the British Heart Foundation advises ramping it up to around 400-600ml two or three hours in advance of training like swimming or trekking and 200-250ml right before. While during, BUPA says you should aim for around 120 to 240ml in small intervals.
Being dehydrated may leave you feeling dizzy or lightheaded and can also hinder your performance. A study in the National Institutes of Health confirms this explaining “Dehydration from sweat loss increases plasma tonicity and decreases blood volume, both of which reduce heat loss and result in elevated core temperature levels during exercise-heat stress”.
To prevent this from occurring when distance running, road cycling or taking part in the likes of triathlons or Ironmen, investigate the world of sports drinks. While water is generally considered to be the best way to rehydrate, you may want to call in the big guns after length exercise or long-distance running – namely those with added carbohydrates and electrolytes that replenish lost minerals and fuel you.
What are sports drinks?
“Sports drinks are sometimes confused with energy drinks” explains Dr Paul McArdle, a leading UK Registered Dietitian. “As their name suggests, they are providing energy, often in the form of carbohydrates (sugars) as this is the most rapidly absorbed form of energy”.
On the other hand, “Sports drinks are usually designed to provide fluid and improve state of hydration. These types of drinks are often referred to as ‘isotonic’ which means they are absorbed more readily. Energy sports drinks can be in a smaller volume and even in the form of a ‘shot’.”
Sports drinks typically fall into three categories. Hypotonic have a lower concentration or tonicity than our blood and are low in sugar. They are designed for post-workout. Isotonics have the same concentration and are designed for mid-workout to give an energy boost. Hypertonic drinks have a higher concentration of sugar and salt to maximise energy. They are packed with carbs and encourage recovery.
When to drink sports drinks?
According to Dr McArdle, “It depends on what type of drink and what you’re using it for, but if it’s for hydration most people will use these during or after exercise or sport. If the exercise is short in duration (an hour or less), it’s likely normal water will suffice, unless the exercise is vigorous or you’re sweating heavily. The same goes for the energy drinks – they’re not always needed”.
What ingredients should you look for in their ingredients?
Pay close attention to the sugar content. “There can be quite varying levels of sugar in these drinks and sometimes more than you need for proper hydration”, says the dietitian. “Some will contain vitamins and other ingredients which claim to boost energy levels, but there is limited evidence you need these in the drink if you have a healthy, balanced diet. Sports drinks will contain minerals and electrolytes, which is what helps them absorb and hydrate rapidly”.
What should you avoid?
“The drinks with the highest sugar content aren’t the best choice”, he stresses. “Look for a sports drink that includes a low-calorie sweetener as these will save on calories and excess sugar in the diet”.
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Maurten Drink Mix 320 - Box of 14
Best for: marathoner-approved
Maurten is a brand that athletes will be very familiar with. The label’s gels are regularly spotted during marathons or triathlons to give competitors a sustained energy boost. The drink mix is a similar type of fueling favourite, delivering endurance using hydrogel technology. When combined with water, the Maurten Drink Mix 320 forms hydrogel that brings H2O, salt and carbohydrates to the intestines, encouraging it to be better absorbed.
If you needed any additional motivation to test it out, it has been given the seal of approval from Eliud Kipchoge, considered to be the world’s greatest marathoner who achieved a mind-blowing time of 1:59:40 in the Vienna 26.2 mile race.
Buy now £39.56, Healf
Humantra Hydration Hack - Elderberry
Best for: unique flavours
Not your typical electrolytes, Humantra offers its nutrient-packed drink mix in unusual but tempting flavour combinations for those looking to add intrigue to their hydrating practices. The delicious line-up includes Elderberry, Lime, Berry Pomegranate and Rose, all of which are sugar-free and contain less than five calories per drink.
While quenching your thirst, the brand offers the benefits of six essential electrolytes with every sip; potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, chloride and phosphorus that work in tandem to maintain normal levels of fluid, help with healthy muscles and bones and support the kidney’s waste-filtering function.
Buy now £24.76, Healf
Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier – Electrolyte Drink Mix, Lemon Lime
Best for: replenishing after a night out
An incredibly popular rehydration remedy amongst our friends across the pond, Liquid I.V. is known to most as a hangover godsend. This is because Liquid IV is powered by an innovative technology known as CTT – otherwise known as Cellular Transport Technology. CTT is the optimal ratio of sodium, potassium, glucose, and water which works to deliver replenishing mineral salts and hydration rapidly into your bloodstream. According to Liquid I.V., CTT hydrates you 2-3 times faster and more efficiently than water alone.
Buy now £28.70, Amazon
Science In Sport GO Isotonic Energy Gels
If you have participated in endurance activity in the past, Science In Sport is likely a brand that you are very familiar with. The energy specialist is often namechecked by athletes as it is home to some of the highest-rated and most ubiquitous refuelling gels on the market. In this variety pack, you are treated to seven different flavours to keep you going.
It is often hard to swallow some of the more saccharine gels on the market but keeping the taste different is a great way to ensure that you won’t get sick of them throughout your training and on race day. The serving is pre-determined so you know exactly how much to eat and each sachet contains liquid carbs for a mid-workout power-up.
Buy now £5.40, Amazon
Lucozade Sport Isotonic Performance Fuel Orange
On hand at major races like the London Marathon to fuel runners through the gruelling 26.2 miles, Lucozade is one of the biggest names in the sports drink arena. The brand packs its isotonic concoction with carbohydrates and electrolytes to increase the rate of rehydration and keep you going through your workout.
Price for 12.
Buy now £16.23, Amazon
Innermost The Energy Booster
Add Innermost’s sweet pineapple-flavoured powder to your shake pre-workout to amp up your fitness routine.
Formulated by nutritionists, the supplement is created using 16 ingredients to increase energy levels and stamina and encourage muscle development. This may be the add-on that you are looking for to give you that added push to perform better during high-intensity workouts. Blended with the most important amino acids – BCAAs – the powder will aid muscle growth and repair too.
Buy now £29.95, Innermost
Vivo Life Perform Raw Cacao Flavour Vegan Protein Powder
Best for: pure ingredients
Protein per serving: 25g
Did you know that many protein powders contain heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead? These come from pesticides and contaminated ingredients, which can be toxic if they accumulate in your body. Vivo Life is one of the few protein powder brands that test its products for heavy metals, so you can rest easy knowing that you’re ingesting the cleanest possible ingredients.
Alongside having just 0.23g sugar per serving, the brand’s vegan Perform Protein is gluten-free, vegan and soya-free and is packed with BCAA, turmeric and herbal enzymes. Flavours range from cocoa to strawberry.
Buy now £44.99, Amazon
Perple Sports Drink - Natural Isotonic Energy & Hydration
Not your typical energy drink, Perple sources its ingredients from nature to give you a reviving formula without ultra-processed, synthetic or artificial nasties. The formula was created by scientists at The University of Oxford and is packed with complex carbs, vegan BCAAs and electrolytes aka the important elements to power you through your workout.
There are two in the line-up; the Sports Drink is made for shorter duration, high-intensity exercise of up to 90 minutes and combines coconut water, sweet potato juice and syrups from brown rice and agave - it’s as delicious as it sounds.
For long distance or stamina-building sports, the Endurance Mixes come in two flavours (Summer Berries and Blood Orange) using the same ingredients.
Buy now £14.00, Amazon
Thorne Catalyte
A highly rated sports drink with our friends across the pond, Thorne’s Catalyte is forging its way to the forefront of the UK market. You may know the brand for its supplements and this powder texture is designed to be combined with water to replenish lost resources of minerals in order to combat dehydration and fatigue. It was created to action this on a cellular level, aiding too in the recovery process.
Buy now £20.84, Healf
