The best sports energy drink provides a balance of hydration, energy and nutrition depending on the intensity of your physical activity. Not everybody needs to prepare for or recover from exercise with a high-calorie, caffeinated sports drink. In fact, unless you are exercising at a moderate to heavy intensity for more than one-hour, water is possibly all your body needs to refuel.
Hydration
You lose a lot of water when you work-out, especially during aerobic exercise, through perspiration and respiration. The best sports drink replenishes all the water you lose. An article published in the "Journal of Physiology" estimates that you may lose between 2 and 5 g of water per minute of exercise, on average. This amounts to about 3 cups of water for every hour of exercise. It is important that you replenish this water during or shortly after exercise.
Energy Calories
The best sports drinks provide as many energy calories as you need -- which could very well be none. Calories keep your muscles pumping and your heart beating. Fortunately, your body already stores calorie energy in the form of glycogen in your liver. After approximately 20 minutes of exercise, your body taps into this glycogen reserve, which is gradually converted to glucose for energy. Following 30 minutes of exercise, your body starts burning fat, which is less efficient at converting to energy than glycogen. Unless you are exercising for more than 60 minutes at a moderate intensity, you may not need a sports drink with any calories.
Micronutrients
Along with water loss, your body also loses electrolytes such as sodium and potassium during exercise. These electrolytes help your muscles fire and your heart beat at a high rate during exercise. Sports drinks manufacturers often use electrolytes as a selling point for their sports drinks. However, these important micronutrients often are packaged with a lot of added sugar and calories. It is important to obtain a sports drink with electrolytes if you are exercising for more than 60 minutes. However, a watered-down fruit juice may be sufficient.
Cost
The best sports drink is one that you can afford every time you exercise, which should be at least five times each week, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. The fact that sports drinks are marketed, highly processed beverages packaged in a plastic bottle means that you pay much more for these beverages compared to water straight from your tap. While water is the more economical choice, sports drinks can benefit heavy exercisers, and you should choose the one that your body needs and that you can afford. A more economical alternative to sports drinks are drink mixes or powdered beverages that you reconstitute in water.
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