Often athletes use special sports drinks during the training. This is not always an advantage They are designed to increase performance and ensure that you persevere while exercising. Isotonic drinks only have a positive effect on your stamina under certain circumstances.
Why Do Athletes Drink Isotonic Drinks?
Those who do a lot of sport lose a lot of fluids through sweating and, at the same time, lose essential minerals, especially sodium. To prevent the body from becoming dehydrated, high-performance athletes and even amateur athletes use expensive iso drinks. They should provide the body with fluids, energy, and minerals and thus ensure that you give full power while exercising.
What Are Isotonic Drinks Made Of?
The sweetest and colored drink contains water and carbohydrates (mainly in the form of quickly available simple sugars), sugar and salt, and possibly also added vitamins and minerals such as magnesium.
What Does Isotonic Drink Mean?
The unique thing about isotonic drinks is the ratio of nutrients contained in the glass. The balance of nutrients corresponds to that of human blood. This means that there are just as many nutrients in the drink as in the blood. As a result, the fluid and the nutrients get into the blood remarkably quickly and thus the muscles and organs. Your cells are supplied promptly with new energy so that you don’t get tired while exercising and, for example, can jog another 10 kilometers.
How Do Isotonic Drinks Work?
Isotonic drinks owe their effect to osmosis. A little excursion into the biology class: osmosis is the diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. Sounds complicated, but it just means that the water is always drawn to where the concentration of a particular substance is highest. In this way, differences in concentration are evened out.
If you drink an isotonic drink, your body can absorb and use the glass directly. However, drinks that contain too many nutrients (hypertonic drinks), such as soft drinks, must first be diluted by your body in the stomach before they can get into the cells. This initially removes water from your cells and is exhausting for the body.
Iso drinks provide you with water, energy, and minerals very quickly so that you can quickly replenish your fluid and electrolyte balance.
When Are Isotonic Drinks Functional?
It seems like isotonic drinks are the perfect drink for your body. However, you should note that the sugar they contain makes them small calorie bombs. If you drink too many iso drinks, you will consume many calories, which is especially disadvantageous when losing weight.
In addition, you must not forget that you also get the nutrients contained in the drinks with your food. As a rule, your body is adequately supplied with water, carbohydrates, salt, and minerals such as magnesium. Even amateur athletes do not need isotonic drinks. Simple mineral water is more than enough to keep you hydrated. Isotonic drinks are only an excellent energy source for high-performance athletes who train and sweat for several hours.
Can I Mix Isotonic Drinks Myself?
Even if you do a demanding and intense exercise session, you don’t have to resort to ready-made drinks. They are often overpriced and contain coloring, flavoring, and preservatives that you can easily do without.
All you need to make your isotonic drink is fruit juice, such as apple juice, mineral water, and possibly a little salt. Mix one glass of juice with three or four glasses of mineral water. Make sure that the water contains at least 50 milligrams of sodium per liter and magnesium and calcium. If you only have tap water on hand, you should also add a pinch of table salt, as tap water is usually shallow in sodium. The fruit juice also provides you with energy and vitamins and is also refreshing.
Conclusion: You Only Need Isotonic Drinks Very Rarely
Isotonic drinks don’t make sense if you’re doing exercise as a hobby. Then you are only consuming excess calories. In addition, juice spritzers and even non-alcoholic beer are cheaper and often healthier alternatives to overpriced iso drinks.
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