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The best sports drink for CrossFit
Fourth liquid water multiplier
Best sports drink for weight loss
Ultima product
The best natural sports drink
Coconut water is harmless
Sports drinks can be a healthy hydration alternative to water, if you know what to look for.
When you think about sports drinksAnd Gatorade and Powerade might be the first brands that come to mind. But these aren’t the only sports drink brands anymore. Nowadays, there are a lot of options for you to choose from.
Small beverage companies and startups are beginning to dominate the market with specialty sports drinks targeted at specific activities and different types of exercisers, such as runners Or CrossFit enthusiasts.
Even as a certified personal trainer with a lot of education in sports nutrition, i have always found sports drinks difficult to figure out. There are just so many, and they all claim to do different things. There are trade-offs to consider, too: Should I drink one with sugar to stay completely normal? Or should I choose the one with sucralose to keep it in Calories under?
Using my own knowledge, and input from other fitness professionals, I dug into over 50 ingredient lists to discover which sports drinks are best for specific goals and Types of training. The result is this guide to the best sports drinks for endurance training, CrossFit, and weight loss An all natural diet.
Personal trainer and fitness studio owner Holly Roser says Noon is the perfect sports drink for hydration and energy. “Made with only electrolytes and caffeine, these little tablets are easy to put in water and turn into a soft drink,” she says, adding that they’re great for morning runs because of the caffeine content.
The entire Nuun line of products promises to help you get through tough workouts, but Nuun Endurance is specifically designed to support you during a sweat session of 90 minutes or longer. It is used extensively by marathoners, athletes and other long-distance exercisers, both professionally and recreationally.
Each tablet contains 15 grams of sugar, 380 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, as well as chloride, magnesium and calcium. Together, these ingredients prevent cramps and keep your muscles moving for long workouts.
I’ve used Nuun Endurance while training for long-distance races and it hasn’t let me down yet. I usually only used it to run 8 miles or longer, but I also popped on my tablet when I felt like I needed a little energy boost.
Let’s do some math here: What do you get when you have a gym stocked, minus the air conditioning, add summer temperatures and hit one of the most intense fitness regimes around. The answer: sweat. Lots of sweat.
A lot of sweat means a lot of lost electrolytes, and Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier says it can help replace what you lose through sweat. According to Liquid IV, one packet of Hydration Multiplier powder is equivalent to drinking three bottles of water because of something called cellular transport technology — I don’t necessarily doubt that claim, but I take it with a grain of salt.
However, the Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier formula is rooted in a medical treatment developed by the World Health Organization called Oral Rehydration Salts.
Hydration Multiplier isn’t a medical treatment, but since it’s closely based on a hydration lotion that major health agencies have been using for decades, I’m confident it can rejuvenate even the sweatiest of CrossFitters.
According to Liquid IV, salt, sugar, potassium, vitamin C, multiple B vitamins, and of course, water combine in just the right amounts to get nutrients into the bloodstream faster than water alone. It’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and vegan.
Read more: How to make running on the treadmill more fun
Lipsa Shah, a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor, recommends Ultima Replenisher as a sports drink for those looking to lose weight because it’s sugar-free and calorie-free.
“I turn to Ultima when I have a long day of teaching hot yoga in a 100-plus-degree room and personal training,” says Shah. “Electrolytes are essential to muscle function and keep you performing at your best and (Ultima) gives you that without the calories.”
Ultima Replenisher contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners—it’s sweetened with stevia—and the first ingredient listed on powder packets is magnesium citrate, which is a good indication that this product is of high quality. Magnesium is one of the electrolytes lost by sweat. That it is the first ingredient on the list means that it is the most prevalent component by volume in the Ultima Replenisher.
Ultima Powder also contains Calcium, Zinc, Manganese, Chloride, Potassium, Sodium and Phosphorous – all essential nutrients you need to replenish after a good sweat.
We’ve become very normal here. No, not supernatural. excellent Natural, as in the most natural drink you can drink during your workout and at the same level as water.
Finding a natural sports drink can be tricky, because most are full of artificial sweeteners, colorings, and flavors. Even sports drinks that don’t contain any of those that are still made in factories or labs are packed with minerals that may not be as bioavailable as those found in natural products.
Shah recommends Harmless Harvest Coconut Water for those looking for a truly natural alternative. While not explicitly marketed as a sports drink, Harmless Harvest Coconut Water contains the ingredients you should be looking for in a sports drink: sugar, sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, and magnesium. However, the only actual ingredient on the bottle is organic coconut water. Coconut contains all of these minerals without the need for fortification.
“It contains all the electrolytes your body needs without any of the artificial ingredients,” says Shah, who tries to stay away from processed foods and drinks as much as possible. “Coconut water is not only hydrating, it helps your muscles and reduces pain, and coconut water has been better than most energy drinks I’ve tried in the past.”
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The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.