Over the last decade or so as it’s become blatantly obvious that soda is a health abomination and consumption of it has decreased, beverage companies have scrambled to replace lost profits with something that can appeal to more health-conscious buyers.
The solution? Sports drinks of course!
Sales of beverages like Gatorade and Powerade have rocketed into the stratosphere, with annual sales of over 8 billion in the US alone.
But this is not a cause for celebration for anyone but the manufacturers and here’s why.
How sporty are you?
Sports drinks were originally formulated for athletes, and were meant to help them replace lost bodily fluids and electrolytes (sodium and potassium) following intense physical activity and profuse sweating.
But now they’re being guzzled by people whose “physical activity” consists of sprinting from the couch to the refrigerator for a snack during a commercial. Plus school kids are drinking them with lunch or as snacks where they used to opt for milk or water.
This is not good.
First of all, sports drinks contain about 250-300 mg of highly processed sodium. Your body loses about 500 mg of sodium per pound of sweat. I’d be willing to bet that most people drinking sports drinks have never come anywhere close to cranking out a pound (or even half a pound) of sweat.
In addition, sports drinks contain a meager 45 mg of potassium, which is WAY too little. The ideal sodium to potassium ratio is 1:5, but sports drinks provide the exact opposite of that with 5:1 sodium to potassium!
Hello there, high blood pressure!
Plus sports drinks are loaded with sugar (almost as much as a Hershey’s chocolate bar) or artificial sweeteners (which are another health atrocity) and artificial colors and flavors.
Sounds a lot like soda to me!
But aren’t they sometimes helpful?
To be fair, I will say that sports drinks do provide hydration and minerals, so they’re not completely useless, especially if you truly do work out vigorously.
However, to get the same benefit of a sports drink you would merely need to drink water freely, eat a handful of salted nuts or a cube of cheddar cheese (for the sodium) and eat 1/10th of a banana for the potassium.
This would provide the same nutritional benefit from real food sources, with no artificial anything.
Note that everyone’s needs are different too, and if you have a healthy diet of real foods and are properly hydrated with water, your body’s levels of vitamins and minerals will better support your exercise needs.
For example, I have completed 5 week-long karate black belt tests and run 2 full marathons drinking nothing but water throughout.
After an intense workout I typically replenish with a large salad with all kinds of veggies and topped with grilled chicken breast and cheddar cheese, and I continue to drink water throughout the rest of the day.
Coconut water is also a good refueling beverage choice, as it’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.
Now let’s switch our focus to…
Energy drinks!
If you think sports drink sales have exploded, they are dwarfed in comparison to energy drinks! US energy drink sales were about $17 billion in 2016 and the upward trend is expected to continue.
But Red Bulls, Monsters and Rockstars are hardly an innocent little “jolt” of caffeine-fueled energy…as a matter of fact, they can be downright deadly.
Here are just a few of the dangers on the resume of energy drinks:
- Heart palpitations
- Heart attack
- Panic; anxiety attacks
- Chest pain
- Liver stress (due to the liver having to metabolize all of the caffeine)
- Elevated blood glucose; insulin resistance
- Death
- Rotted teeth
- Accumulating fat around the middle; aka an “apple shape”
- Fatigue and low moods (after the caffeine wears off)
Plus studies have shown that mixing energy drinks with booze (which is a very popular practice among young people) increases your cravings for more alcohol.
If it’s energy you’re worried about, here are 4 safe, natural ways to boost your energy level:
Improve your digestion
Nothing your body does demands more energy than digestion. So if heartburn, bloating, gas and/or constipation are your regular companions, chances are excellent your energy is tanking as well.
But the good news is it’s very easy to improve your digestion! You just need to make your meals easier to digest and give your body a little enzyme boost if needed.
My Great Taste No Pain system can show you how to put together luscious meals that are a snap for your system to break down. When you make your meals inherently easier for your system to tackle, that sets the stage for smooth, comfortable, pain-free digestion, less gas and bloating, more regular BMs and LOTS more energy!
Also, consider supplementing with an enzyme formula like Digestizol Max. Many people have enzyme challenges due to aging, having diets high in processed foods, use of acid reducers or a history of gallbladder or gastric surgery. So it can make a huge difference in your digestion (and energy level) to give your body a helpful boost.
Digestizol Max’s complete formula of 15 plant-based enzymes will help your body break down literally every type of food that you eat!
Supplement with B12
Out of all the nutrients in existence, being low in B12 is probably the worst in terms of crushing your energy level.
But Hydroxaden 2.5 vitamin B12 spray can help make sure you have what you need!
Hydroxaden 2.5 provides a health- and energy-supporting 2.5 mg of vitamin B12, plus vitamins B2, B3 and B6 which all help contribute to a high energy level!
I always use Hydroxaden 2.5 whenever I’m going into a workout, and many of my fellow karate masters and students have gotten on the B12 bandwagon too. J
Make sure you’re hydrated
Your body must have adequate water to deliver nutrients to your cells and sweep away wastes—two things that have a tremendous impact on your energy level.
But many people don’t realize they’re dehydrated.
If your urine is dark yellow anytime other than first thing in the morning, or you wait until you’re dying of thirst before you drink water, trust me, you’re dehydrated.
Eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day should be your bare minimum.
Exercise!
Exercise creates an interesting phenomenon—it uses energy but also generates energy!
As you become fit, all of your organs work better because they're getting the oxygen and glucose they need and eliminating toxins -- and that means increased energy.
Get your doctor’s OK and get moving—even brisk walking is helpful.
Now you know the REAL truth about sports and energy drinks, and how you can keep up a high energy level without them!
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
