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Burning or Adding Calories?

Are you one of those people who exercises with a sports drink in hand? This could be sabotaging your diet! Did you know that with just one bottle of these beverages you could regain all, or many, of the calories you burned after exercising?  

This is the nutritional information of a popular sports beverage:

Burning or Adding Calories?
  • Serving size: 6 ounces
  • Calories: 100
  • Sugars: 14g (5 teaspoons)

Put things in perspective. If you walk 30 minutes at a low or moderate intensity, you will burn around 200 to 250 calories. With one of these drinks, you get about 100, so in the end, you will have burned only 100 to 150 calories.Those 100 daily calories you regain mean 10 pounds in one year. Amazing!

Sports beverages were created to hydrate athletes before, during, and after  exercising. However, their popularity has increased, and now many people have them regularly. These beverages are very beneficial during exercise, but you should know when to use them and when they will only give you extra calories and ruin your  diet plan.

Some of the things you must consider to determine whether you need a sports beverage or not are your rate of perspiration, the weather, and the duration and intensity of the exercise you are doing.  

Here are some tips to help you choose the right beverage to hydrate yourself when you exercise:

  • If your exercise routine lasts between 30 minutes and 1 hour, at a low to moderate intensity, drink only water.
  • If you exercise for 1 to 2 hours at a moderate intensity, you may choose among water, light sodas,  fruit juices diluted with water, or vitamin-enriched, flavored drinks.
  • Drink sports beverages if your exercise regimen lasts more than 2 hours, if the weather is too hot, or if your rate of perspiration is very high.

Avoid beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee, colas, and tea, because they are all diuretic and will make you lose even more body liquids through the urine.

Now, with the information in your hands, select the best choice to hydrate yourself and leave the calories in the gym . . . don’t take them home with you.

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