​Who’s Your Hydration Hero? Water vs. Sports Drinks

Dehydration is something that can affect us anytime, anywhere – but our bodies are particularly susceptible to it during the hot summer months. It’s easy to forget to drink water while you’re swimming all day long because you’re surrounded by water! The catch is, you’re just not drinking it – or at least you shouldn’t be…

With all the physical activities that there are to do outside, compiled with the hot summer sun, it’s more important than ever to stay hydrated this season.

What's the best way to stay hydrated?

Marketing advertisements can be quite misleading and encourage you to believe that sports drinks can be more hydrating for you.

While sports drinks are typically consumed after physical activities due to their ability to replenish lost electrolytes and carbohydrates, there are so many other ingredients in them that aren’t beneficial to you.

Sports drinks or any electrolyte drinks should not replace water. It’s okay to have them in moderation, but water should always be the primary source of hydration for both children and adults.

Popular sports drinks can lead to excessive sugar and calorie intake, both of which can contribute to more serious health concerns like obesity and even tooth decay.

What about other rehydrating options?

Let's go over some of the other common rehydrating drink options and see if they’re better than or equal to water.

Infused water: Typically, infused waters contain a lot of excess sugar because what else is giving the water a fruity, sweet flavor?

The labels on infused water can also be misleading – take Vitamin Water for example. You probably think that you can get all these vitamins that you need while staying hydrated. But the truth is, you will get all the same vitamins from your daily fruits and vegetables intake, all without the added sugar that those drinks typically contain.

Coconut water: While coconut water is good for you and has very low levels of sugar and carbs, it doesn’t offer anything special that water doesn’t.

Milk: Milk is often believed to be a good recovery drink because it provides your body with all the vitamins and minerals it needs post workout, as well as relieving muscle soreness. But, there are studies that compare milk to sports drinks and have found there is almost no difference in the two.

Energy drinks: Again, these drinks contain a large amount of sugar as well as caffeine. Typically, children should avoid caffeine because of its stimulating effects.

Water Wins

The average person should drink eight glasses containing 8 to 12 ounces of water a day, but this can vary from person to person.

You know yourself better than anyone, so base your water intake on what feels right for you – but do try to consume that minimum recommended amount.

It’s also a good idea to be aware of these simple signs of dehydration. If you check any of those boxes, reach for some water as soon as possible.

While consuming an occasional sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade isn’t a problem, when these sports drinks become your primary source of hydration, this becomes an issue.

Make water your hydration hero this summer and year-round!