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I am a long time fan of Gatorade. Currently, I don't do much for exercise and I drink Gatorade only for enjoyment. I've been wondering if Gatorade is actually an acceptable and healthy/beneficial way to keep myself hydrated, or whether it is actually detrimental. The Gatorade company has their own research and findings all over the internet claiming that Gatorade is better than water in terms of replenishing carbohydrates and electrolytes during physical activity, etc.

There are also many many articles and papers on the internet claiming the opposite, that Gatorade is not helpful in terms of being a 'sports drink' and is detrimental to the performance of athletes and is unhealthy for causal drinkers.

Really, I just want to know if drinking Gatorade when I feel that I am dehydrated is a good idea. Anybody have any thoughts on this slightly mundane topic?

Another thing I have found out about hydrating is that I, in my lazy complacency to dehydration, am much more likely to drink that water that I need to feel good when it is readily available to me (i.e. within easy reach). Now, my favorite way of drinking water is directly from "Drinking Water" 1-gallon jugs (kept in my room). When walking around outside (to store, school, etc.), I always feel better with my 100 oz. CamelBak than an encumbering army of little plastic bottles. The weight is worth it, in my opinion.

Is it worth taking a 10-100 every 45/60 minutes? I'd say so.

Seems like a silly question now. Water. Got it. Thanks.

Now that I think about it, if I am very hot and thirsty, water is most appealing to me as well.

Gatorade is really meant for folks working out hard for over two hours. It has a lot of sodium in it as you lose a lot if you are sweating that hard for that long. Most folks not working that hard or long already have too much sodium in their systems. However, for years the message has been to drink as much water as possible which has the downside of washing out the sodium and that is why in recent years there have been a number of deaths in marathons from sodium depletion from folks drinking too much water. As in most things in life moderation is usually the best policy.

You could try the "diet" gatorade, if you want to cut some of the stuff out.
http://www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#product?s=g2

At the UNI student health services, they have a refrigerator full of these for really sick students, and I can tell you from experience that they seem to help in that situation, (in moderation, of course.)

I got into Gatorade during high school soccer double sessions, and continued drinking it during marching band camp in humid Iowa summers. I rarely reach a similar level of physical activity/sweatiness anymore but sometimes, after jogging or working outdoors, I am still in the mood for Gatorade (fwiw, I don't drink any other type of sweetened soft drink). If you enjoy Gatorade but aren't burning calories at the same rate, they sell small, 80-calorie bottles in twelve-packs at the grocery store. At my store, they're in the same aisle as school lunch juice boxes.

That's basically when and why I started using Gatorade as well. Now that I'm not very active, I'll try to cut back on satisfying my Gatorade cravings.

On the other hand, I should probably get more active. But from what I'm reading, I'd have to be very very active to warrant the use of Gatorade as a (sort of) substitute for water. I don't think tuba playing counts...

A lot of my friends drink Gatorade to help with a hangover, so I guess drinking can be considered "vigorous" activity.

Humans have lived thousands of years before Gatorade was invented. I think water will do you just fine.

Gatorade is just another concoction, with some benefits and disbenefits. It is not any more sugary than pop, and probably a little better for you for not being carbonated. But neither will do you any harm in moderation.

But those who say only water are missing something about when Gatorade is useful. During intense, prolonged exercise, one can drink too much water. It dissolves the electrolytes in the bloodstream and carries them away, resulting in hyponatremia. That will put you on your knees and crawling as well as just about anything.

Gatorade provides two ingredients important during intense, prolonged exercise: Salt (electrolyte), and sugar (calories).

Extreme example: When I completed an Ironman Triathlon ten years ago, I burned about 11,000 calories. The body can store about 4500 calories before the blood is depleted. The body can burn fat, but only at a slow rate--not fast enough to keep up. The result is what athletes call a "bonk". I have reached that point on several occasions, and the result is usually nausea and the need for immediate sleep. Not as bad as hyponatremia, but bad enough. Top marathoners used defizzed Coke as their drink of choice during a race for many, many years before the Gatorade-type concoctions came out. Completing that Ironman required consuming 350 calories an hour.

So, salt and sugar are needed to sustain the body during intense, prolonged exercise.

Gatorade is also useful for persons suffering illness that can cause dehydration, including diarrhea. People losing fluids at a high rate also need electrolytes.

When I was a kid growing up in the heat and humidity of southeast Texas, salt tablets were a regular feature of summer outdoors activities. Water by itself was not enough. I suffered from heat exhaustion often enough to know how much those salt tablets helped.

I find that when I'm dehydrated or when I need the electrolytes, Gatorade tastes wonderful, even if warm. When I'm not in that condition, the taste is salty and bitter. So, like Bloke, I listen to my body.

Rick "but Gatorade does slow absorption due to the citric acid" Denney

Rick Denney wrote:It is not any more sugary than pop...

Pop? What's my dad got to do with it?

http://popvssoda.com:2998/countystats/total-county.html" target="_blank

the elephant wrote:Therefore, water only. As I said, Gatorade is useful when doing vigorous exercise. Water is what he needs if he is merely thirsty. If he is dehydrated with little to no activity AND he is drinking water regularly then he needs a physician or a bartender who will cut him off earlier on benders.

Well, that isn't exactly what you said:

Drink water. it has all you need, even when playing sports. Gatorade was invented by a trainer of the Florida Gators football team to cut down on the severe cramps suffered when playing football in the Florida heat and humidity. THAT is the only reason to drink it, despite what the commercials say. And ALL "sports drinks" serve the same purpose: to prevent cramping in the heat while exercising vigorously. It tastes good so that you will buy it when you do not need it. It is crap, just like Coca-Cola and sugared water.

(emphasis mine.)

You said a lot more besides. I was responding to the elements of your homily that I have bold-faced. Your statement was too strong and subject to incorrect misinterpretation, even though I agree that couch potatoes have no need of Gatorade.

Hyponatremia doesn't cause cramps, and is not related to the buildup of lactic acid, which DOES cause cramps. It does make you see things that aren't there. Bonking does not cause cramps, but it makes you dream of cramps. Unless you fall off the bike after you fall asleep, that is. (Ask me how I know). Falling can indeed cause cramps, or at least pain. The potassium in Gatorade will help recover from lactic-acid buildup, which does cause cramps. You're 1 for 3.

And, as I said, water does not have all you need when playing sports.

By the way, the OP referred to a lot of rumors about Gatorade, and did not just ask whether he should drink it as a couch potato. I was just setting the record straight.

Rick "now, to dispatch Bort and his anti-Popism" Denney

bort wrote:

Rick Denney wrote:It is not any more sugary than pop...

Pop? What's my dad got to do with it?

http://popvssoda.com:2998/countystats/total-county.html

I grew up in Coke territory, but since I prefer Dr. Pepper, I refuse to go there, unless I mean that particular brand.

And soda is what you mix with scotch when you want to ruin it. No sugar in soda, which would ruin scotch even faster.

I was just using the only unambiguous term left to me, your dad notwithstanding.

(I do wonder about that island of anti-conformism surrounding St. Louis.)

Rick "noting the correct term is 'carbonated beverage'" Denney

Rick Denney wrote: . The result is what athletes call a "bonk"

I absolutely dread bonking. I hate it when it happens to me on long brevets. Nothing worse then having that happen and still having hundreds of miles to grind out. I don't think folks can really understand what it truly feels like until they have personally experienced it and then tried to keep going. I tend to get nailed when the day is much hotter than what I expected and I feel too good early on and push a faster tempo than what I planned combined with not drinking early and often. Taking enough of the right fluids in to replenish what I'm losing during an event is tough when you perspire as profusely as I do during a long event. Being fully hydrated prior to the event is a huge key for me. Hitting the wall hard is no fun.

Thank you all for your input. Mr. Denney and Mr. Rackley managed to (amiably) argue each other into ensuring that all of my questions and concerns were satisfied.

If I can be strong-willed enough, I intend to begin exercising regularly before I begin college this fall. However, I doubt that I will be engaging in 'intense, prolonged exercise' any time soon... So unless my workouts start to end with a 'bonk,' it's time to cut back some on the Gatorade.

tofu wrote:I don't think folks can really understand what it truly feels like until they have personally experienced it and then tried to keep going.

I was never much for riding brevets, and if I went over about 120 miles, even on a good day, I start to get miserable. In my current unfit state, I get miserable when I sit in my basement office and ponder my eight bicycles hanging on the wall, unused. Not miserable enough to do anything about it, of course.

My last bonk was on a 75-mile ride in which I attempted to follow the faster riders (who were accomplished racers) in an organized club ride. The reason had to do with a very fast young redhead (this was before I met my wife, who is also a redhead. I have a thing for redheads, I guess). I was probably not fully hydrated at the start of the ride, and certainly had not prepared to go really hard that day, having not even eaten breakfast. What can I say? I get a little silly around cute redheads.

We really hammered for the first 50 hilly miles, at least by my standards, and I started to feel sick and light-headed. We stopped at a store, and I bought a quart bottle of Gatorade and chugged it. But it was too little too late and too sudden. About 10 miles later, I bonked, hard. I let the others ride on while I sat on the embankment and took a 15-minute nap. Given how I looked, the others were prepared to send a car back to pick me up. But when I woke up, the Gatorade had had a chance to be absorbed into my system, and I rode easily into the finish of the ride, arriving there before they had even had time to organize a rescue.

On telling this story to a riding buddy, the comment was, "too sweet, too fast".

My response? "Yes, she was. But I really think it was drinking that Gatorade too quickly."

Rick "no, this wasn't the occasion when I fell asleep while riding" Denney

If you are drinking it strictly as a thirst quencher and not in association with an effort to recover from intense work or excercise, use the lo- cal version G-2 ( I think ). Otherwise, it will pack on the lbs ......

I'm a big fan of Vitamin Water, and the new Gatorade G series. Vitamin Water gets the edge for me though. If you just drink it and if you haven't gone through any strenuous activity however, its kind of pointless. Unless, you work outside in the heat all day long, then you get the benefits. As far as my personal physiology/psyche goes, I can't drink water during or after a heavy lifting workout without feeling like i'm about to empty the contents of my stomach all over the place. As always, I have truly no idea what will work for you.

The only gatorade flavor I find worth drinking is orange: even then, I find myself washing the funky aftertaste away with water. As a profusive sweater, I really need something like gatorade after a lot of physical activity, but as a comfort bevarage, I don't know: I'd rather have a soda.