THE MANY FORMS OF HYDRATION

Sport drinks vs water vs… coconut water?

The News Eagle recently did a write up about staying hydrated in the gym. While this is a no brainer for anyone who is serious about fitness and bodybuilding – the article also goes into detail breaking down the various different types of liquid a person can consume to stay hydrated.

It compares the sports drinks to the energy drinks to good old fashioned water. Obviously energy drinks are a no go for intense fitness. All of that caffeine and sugar will do nothing but further dehydrate you and lower the blood flow.

Sports drinks on the other hand, like Gatorade or Powerade, can definitely be useful because of those fancy electrolytes that get lost from sweat. But at the end of the day there isn’t a big enough difference between a sport drink and water to say that one is better than the other. One interesting benefit to sports drinks that the article brought up is how too much water can actually dilute the amount of electrolytes in your body to the point where it triggers urination to remove the excess. So if you want to take less bathroom breaks then maybe sticking to Gatorade might be better.

One last interesting point. The News Eagle adds coconut water into the mix and brings up some pretty good points of how it can be the most effective liquid to consume for hydration. Here’s what they had to say:

“The appeal of coconut water is that it is low in calories, rich in potassium (its main draw), and fat- and cholesterol-free; it also contains less sugar than the average sports drink… Sodium-enhanced coconut water has been found to be as effective as traditional sports drinks at after-workout hydration…”

– News Eagle

While all of this sounds appealing, there have been some doubts of the validity of all those nutrition numbers you see on the labels. Is this just another “it” drink that will fade after a few years? Or is coconut water here to stay?

Whether you take down sports drinks, coconut water, or just high quality H20 – make sure to always stay hydrated during your workouts. Workout just as smart as you do hard.

You can read the whole article right here .

Are you down with coconut water? Think it adds an extra refresher in the gym? Let us know in the comments section below and don’t forget to check out our Facebook and Twitter too!