We all know that everyone from performance athletes to business professionals need fluids for their bodies to function properly, but there's much debate as to what you actually need to drink for optimum hydration. Sports drinks contain carbs, vitamins and electrolytes that studies show boost hydration and performance, so should we ditch the water for these sports performance beverages?
Water is essential for a properly functioning physical body. A lack of proper hydration has negative effects on the body, mind and healing properties of our physiology. Sports beverages can also quench our thirst, so what makes drinking one different than drinking a glass of water?
Sports drinks contain water, but also have other ingredients not found naturally in water. Take TapouT Citrus Kick for example. TapouT Citrus kick contains electrolytes, vitamins and carbs to provide your body with the ingredients necessary for peak hydration and performance.
SodiumPotassiumChlorideCalciumMagnesiumVitamins A, C, E, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12
Our body needs natural sodium to retain fluids. Without this sodium, we'll sweat more profusely and increase our risk of dehydration. Electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium help athletes recover faster and the full gamut of electrolytes and vitamins improve nerve, brain and muscle function.
If we have a beverage with all these electrolytes, minerals and vitamins, doesn't it make sense to replace our water intake with sports drinks such as TapouT Citrus Kick?
Even though sports beverages have added ingredients, it may not be the best idea to stop drinking water altogether in favor of sports beverages. While athletes do need carbs to perform, we don't necessarily need to be consuming carbs and sugars every time we hydrate. Too many carbs and sugars can be detrimental to the human body, especially if we're talking about people with lower activity levels. An athlete will utilize these carbs and sugar during strenuous exercise while a higher calorie sports drink can lead to weight gain in those who choose to consume sports beverages without maintaining high activity levels.
There is a solution to the carb and sugar dilemma, however. TapouT Cherry Lemonade Blast has the same vitamins, electrolytes and sodium as our Citrus Kick flavor, but with zero sugars and only ten calories.
We've already mentioned the potential for weight gain when absorbing excess calories via sports drinks, but did you know that the body can only absorb a certain amount of vitamins at a time? Drinking only sports drinks rather than water can cause these vitamins to be wasted and may have some side effects if too much of certain vitamins are consumed over a short amount of time. Injecting higher doses of certain vitamins can lead to lightheadedness, stomach cramps, anxiety and other side effects that can hamper physical and mental performance.
While sodium can help your body hydrate, if you consume too much it can lead to high blood pressure and be detrimental to heart health. If you're not sweating, but constantly consuming a beverage containing sodium, you could be doing more harm than good.
A sports beverage such as TapouT can give you a boost no matter what your activity levels are, but how many you consume in a day or whether you choose our regular Citrus Kick or low-calorie Cherry Lemonade Blast depends on your physical activities and hydration needs.
If you're just looking for an energy boost and something tastier than water to include in your hydration routine, but you have a job that doesn't put too much physical stress on your body, you may want to consider replacing your morning coffee with a Cherry Lemonade Blast to get an influx of fluids, electrolytes and vitamins first thing in the morning.
After that, remember to drink water frequently throughout the day, maybe a glass every hour. If you need an afternoon pick me up, another TapouT can give your body the boost it needs. If you're planning on a post work run, consider a Citrus Kick to give your body all the vitamins and minerals it needs plus the carbohydrates needed for energy. If you have plans for an intense workout, consider another TapouT after your routine to reinject potassium, magnesium and essential vitamins back into your system.
If you're a firefighter, chef or work in a profession under intense heat, you may sweat out your body's supply of sodium and your body will struggle to remain hydrated. Under these circumstances, consider adding an extra TapouT at some point during your day to prevent excessive dehydration.
High-performance athletes have much more demanding hydration needs than the average person, and drinking water alone will lead to poor performance and potential physical issues. Athletes demand more carbohydrates, frequent replenishment of electrolytes and sodium and plenty of vitamins after a workout to recover. Even under these circumstances, replacing all water with a sports beverage may not be the best idea, but you may want to listen to your body. If you're feeling lower energy levels, cramping, dizziness or other signs of dehydration, you may want to down a TapouT Citrus Kick rather than water while refueling.
The best advice is to consider your activity levels and listen to your body. If you find that drinking water just isn't doing the trick, you probably could benefit from an extra sports drink that contains vitamins, electrolytes and natural sodium.
TapouT comes in two tasty flavors, Citrus kick and zero-sugar 10-calorie Cherry Lemonade Blast. Both TapouT flavors contain 240 mg natural sodium, eight vitamins and all four major electrolytes to give you a performance and recovery boost not available in other sports drinks.