Working Out With Gatorade: The Athletic Perspective

I'd like to consider myself to have a pretty solid work out schedule. Between hitting the gym and going to a hot yoga class, I like to try and get some sort of a work out at least 4-5 times a week. After watching the incredible talent and stamina of the athletes at this years winter Olympics I got to thinking – would my daily workout improve with the help of an electrolyte-packed bottle of Gatorade?

Now, lets clarify – I wasn't expecting to turn into the next Shaun White or anything, but I wanted to investigate if the reputation Gatorade holds for giving athletes a better work out due to the consumption of electrolytes was legitimate. Normally I work out with an old fashioned bottle of water, and it seems to do the trick just fine. Today however, I confidently marched towards the IM-building with a bottle of electric-blue Gatorade in hand, ready to test the worth of this so-called sports drink miracle.

I did the same short work out I had done the day before while drinking water (40 minutes on the elliptical, 5 minute abs, 5 minutes lifting), but this time with the help of my electrolyte-infused friend. All in all, I noticed that while I often need to refill my water bottle more than once during a normal work out, one small bottle of Gatorade was able to keep me hydrated throughout, and I left the gym feeling energetic and hydrated. However, the sugary taste of the Gatorade was a little too much to handle during the workout.

All in all, while Gatorade definitely does the trick, I think ill be sticking with water during my workouts.

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