3 ways SPORTS DRINKS are making you fat!
Sports drinks are marketed to you as essential after sports or physical activity. Did you know that there is a way to hydrate optimally without the excess sugar? Here are 3 ways sports drinks are making you fat.
(1) Excessive Sugar
Sports drinks have high sugar content. As a pre-workout, the sugar gives you energy to generate the most effort and work during your sport. However, as a post-workout drink, you might not need the sugar if you are trying to lose weight.
(2) Bottles... Big Bottles...
Sports drinks usually come in big bottles and you are unable to control the concentration of your sports drinks. Some might find a sports drink too sweet and opt for something a little more bland. At the end of the day, you can only dilute the drink with water to regulate the concentration. Though there's always a tendency to drink the entire 1.5L bottle as you're so thirsty from play. This leads to consuming much more than you need for replenishment.
(3) No matter how hard you workout, you drink sports drinks
Though sports drinks have been shown to improve performance in endurance workouts, people often drink them during easier sessions. This often leads to a sugar surplus and subsequently to fat gain. A good rule of thumb is one hour of endurance workout qualifies for sports drink replenishment. Low / zero calorie hydration would be best for shorter less strenuous workouts.
