Q: Do Sports Drinks Work?

A: Well, yes and no. It all depends on the specific situation. The Gatorade commercials would have us believe that we should drink a sports drink before, during and after a workout. However, a sports drink is designed to refuel the muscles once they run out of blood glucose, and that only occurs after 60 minutes of intense, continuous exercise. So, if you've involved in a really hard workout, or sporting event, and if you're going longer than 60 minutes, sports drinks will help refuel your muscles to allow you to continue exercising effectively. Drinking them before 60 minutes of continuous exercise will just provide a bunch of sugar that will be sitting uncomfortable in your stomach.

The only other time Gatorade is valuable is in very hot environments where you're losing a lot of electrolytes that need to be replenished that water just doesn't provide. The minerals sodium, potassium and chloride are lost through prolonged perspiration and they are essential to hydration and muscle function. So, ingesting Gatorade or Powerade helps replenish the minerals essential to staying hydrated.

So, the bottom line, IF you workout beyond 60 minutes continuously, or you are in an environment where you perspire a lot, sports drinks are very beneficial. Consuming them before boot camp, and even during camp (unless it's a very warm morning) doesn't do much good and can lead to stomach discomfort.