What are Sports Drinks?
Sports drinks are used to replenish glucose, fluids, and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) that are lost during intense exercise, while additionally enhancing endurance. The particular amount of sugar and electrolytes present in sports drinks is added to allow for quick hydration and absorption.
Sports drinks are beverages composed of water, sugar, little amounts of minerals like sodium, potassium and at times other ingredients as well.
Who All Need It?
Sports drinks may benefit you when you are doing heavy exercises or playing intense sports for 45 minutes or more, mainly in hot or humid weather.
For example, going for a run or a bike ride, weight-lifting or being involved in sports like tennis, hockey, soccer, basketball or football.
How Much Can Be Consumed?
Sugar loaded drinks increase the risk of dehydration and can potentially cause bloating, nausea or stomach upset.
Either water or sports drinks are usually the best choices while playing sports.
It depends on a number of things like the temperature outside and how much a person sweats. Most people can easily meet their fluid needs by adhering to the following tips:
- Up to 4 hours before playing a sport, slowly sip about 5 to 7 mL per kilogram of body weight. It is roughly 1 to 2 cups of water or a sports drink. It will vary depending on your weight.
- If there is no urine production over the next 2 hours or dark in colour, slowly have another 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups of water or sports drink.
- Begin drinking early and regularly to replace all the water lost through sweating.
Why Steadfast Nutrition’s ‘SNERGY’?
Snergy is a blend of simple carbohydrates along with essential vitamins and minerals that instantly releases energy and replenishes the lost electrolyte stores. It contains dextrose monohydrate as one of the carbohydrate sources that are naturally rich in calories. It is easily broken down in the body, to derive energy. Dextrose ingestion leads to an insulin spike which means increased transport of nutrients to the cells. It is highly absorbable through our cell membranes and enhances the activity of the muscle cells during performance and recovery. Athletes can use dextrose for maintaining their energy levels without compromising their glycogen reserves.
Snergy also aids in restoring drained energy levels due to everyday activities like travelling, driving, walking, and heat induces sweating.
Electrolytes lost through sweat and urine can cause an imbalance in the body’s fluid directly having an effect on our blood pressure, muscle contraction, healthy nerve functioning and many more. Hence, it is important to renew these lost stores which is why Snergy acts as a rescue to the situation. It has all the crucial electrolytes like sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium. All these together help to maintain the acid-base balance in our body, preventing muscle cramps, regulating blood pressure, allowing a proper muscle contraction, maintaining bone strength and having healthy nerve function.
The reason why Snergy is the best to restore energy levels is the presence of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). Vitamin B6 plays a crucial role in energy metabolism and regulating stress levels. Snergy also contains some special ingredients like taurine and inositol, thus making it unique from other options available out there in the market. Taurine is another super ingredient, conditionally an essential amino acid present in the highest concentration in the brain, eyes and heart. It acts as a fluid regulator and a strong antioxidant. Taurine also boosts the immune system, heart health, brain health and minimises muscle soreness by neutralizing the free radicals that can potentially damage the healthy cells and therefore cause oxidative stress.
Benefits of Snergy
1. Instant Energy Source - It is ideal to restore energy levels as it has multiple sources of carbohydrates that give an instant energy boost.
2. Maintain Body Fluid Balance - Snergy is rich in electrolytes like sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium that help renew the lost electrolyte stores.
3. Prevents Dehydration - Intense physical activity leads to excessive sweating that may lead to fluid loss, hence dehydration. Snergy gives the much-needed minerals to maintain proper acid-base balance and prevent our body cells from getting dehydrated.
4. Prevents muscle cramps and improves muscle contraction - Loss of electrolytes, especially potassium can cause muscle spasms and cramps. Snergy helps in the regulation of blood flow to our muscle cells, thereby preventing muscle soreness, stiffness and fatigue.
5. Maintains a Normal Heartbeat - Potassium is one of the main electrolytes required by the heart for optimum functioning as it regulates the heartbeat.
6. Helps in proper muscle contraction - Lack of potassium and chloride has been related to weak muscle contractions. Thus potassium in the product helps in the proper transmission of nerve signals.
7. Boosts Performance - Magnesium present in Snergy helps in moving blood sugar into our muscles. It also destroys the accumulated lactic acid hence enables an athlete to perform effectively for a longer duration.
8. Regulates Blood Pressure - Snergy prevents high blood pressure as it contains magnesium which leads to effortless blood flow and helps in maintaining the optimum balance between sodium and potassium.
9. Reduces Inflammation - Snergy helps in reducing inflammation due to the fact that it contains pyridoxine which regulates the levels of homocysteine in the body.
10. Reduces Stress & Anxiety Levels - The presence of pyridoxine and inositol also supports the management of stress, depression and anxiety levels.
11. Reduces Oxidative Stress - Taurine present in it also makes Snergy useful in lowering oxidative stress.
12. Improves Aerobic Capacity & Stamina - Snergy delivers vitamin B6 and B12 that are needed for the synthesis of red blood cells, hence contributing to improved strength and stamina.
REFERENCES
- Sports Nutrition: Facts on Sports Drinks - Unlock Food. (2019, January 30). UnlockFood.Ca. https://www.unlockfood.ca/
- Sports Drinks. The Nutrition Source. (2019, September 23). https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/
