Essay Sample on Rehydration: Water & Sports Drinks for Hot Exercises

Introduction

Rehydrating drinks ingested when exercising many have different effects on aerobic exercises and unclear performances. During prolonged exercises performed in hot places, athletes tend to ingest water and other carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions such as sports drinks, which will help to increase advantages on performance on rehydration and nutrition. The most important to replace when exercising in hot environments is water as it forms a large part of the body, and it is lost the most during such practices. However, the exercisers also lose essential nutrients necessary for the maintenance and development of the body and its muscles, which makes the exercisers need to consume carbohydrate drinks to easily maintain glycogen and glucose energy, especially when enduring practice for a long time. Replacing electrolytes is vital in cases where a substantial loss of sweat is experienced. Commercial sports drinks available and intended to be used when exercising have varying compositions with different ranges of carbohydrate contents. Gatorade was created to reduce the way that athletes were falling ill after taking part in strenuous exercises in the open. Many athletes were losing fluids and electrolytes at extreme levels. Yet, they were rarely replacing them, making it necessary for the creation of Gatorade to help in the replacement of essential carbohydrates and electrolytes while keeping the body hydrated at all times. When an individual is exercising, taking part in aerobic or anaerobic-sprinting, they behave differently, especially between individuals who use the glucose replacements and those who use no replacements.

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Glucose Replacement

Exercise

When people start exercising, they should stay hydrated at all times; hence they should drink water, which is the most basic form of staying hydrated. However, using sports drinks such as Gatorade is more advantageous than using water because they contain electrolytes and sugar such as potassium and sodium, that help in the replacement of the nutrients and fluids lost during long exercises, especially those that exercise in the heat (Coso et al. 290-298). The electrolytes in Gatorade are specific types of minerals that help to maintain the ionic stability of the body as it is essential for the effective working of the brain, muscles, and nerves.

The people who exercise and do not have an adequate intake of electrolytes face electrolyte disorders making it hard to maintain the compounds and elements which naturally occur in the body and help to control essential physiologic functions (Schaefer 1-12). Sports drinks should be consumed one hour before exercise because carbohydrates lead to a top-up of muscle glycogens and levels of fuels, which stimulate the body for increased performance. It is also consumed during exercises to increase fuel delivery and optimal fluid, which allow the athletes and sprinters to perform more effectively and longer when training and competing (Schaefer 1-12). Finally, the sports drinks should be consumed after exercise to aid in recovery as they assist in rehydration of the body fluids lost.

The primary electrolytes found in the body include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, sodium, and potassium, and they play a significant role in helping the athletes to rehydrate and refuel. Research conducted in the past shows that sports drinks are better than water in kids and sportspersons that take part in hearty and prolonged physical activities in hot environments (Holland 1-18). However, the people who exercise for less than one hour do not require Gatorade to improve and maintain their performances.

Disadvantages of Gatorade

While glucose has many advantages to the athletes and young people who use them, most of the people that drink energy drinks every day are not as physically fit as they are required. The extra calories that are found in the Gatorade lead to more gains in weight and can increase high blood pressure risks as time goes by. Gatorade such as G2 consists of sucralose and acesulfame sugar, meaning that long term safety of these energy drinks is questionable (Saylor 1-41). The Gatorade also contains food dyes like Blue No. 1, Yellow No. 5 and Red No. 40 which includes many artificial dyes emerging from petroleum increases hyperactivity risks and can also be linked to different types of cancers (Saylor 1-41).

Aerobic and Anaerobic Training

Athletes experience ergogenic rehydration effects when they drink sports drinks that help to improve short-term performances; hence they are easily able to sprint better in the latter stages of exercising in hot environments (Williams and Rollo 13-22). Rehydration using glucose that is availed in sports drinks when exposed to prolonged exercises or short sprints in hot areas preserves the force of the legs, which is different from rehydrating using water. Research shows that endurance increases when sprinters ingest sports drinks during and after exercise.

Short sprinting requires much muscle energy, and the Gatorade helps to develop strong muscles making it possible for the individuals to rush out fast with little effort and exhaustion. In sports such as basketball, much energy is essential from the aerobic and anaerobic muscle sources, and it requires the athlete to have proper nutrition such as carbohydrates and Gatorade fluids (Baker et al. 5733-5763). Anaerobic energy is needed to provide powerful sprints and jumps which originate from carbohydrates from various energy drinks. Gatorade can also be achieved from glucose water that creates muscle fuels and helps in keeping the brain healthy and on task.

Aerobic systems play a significant role in recovery periods like light running and jogging, which are essential in the replenishing of phosphocreatine and helps in training and competition issues (Baker et al. 5733-5763). Taking the fluid ingestion helps to improve performances and maintain steady body temperatures that play a significant role in homeostatic balancing that occurs between electrolytes and water that become imbalanced as the sprinters experience more sweat and activities while practicing in hot environments (Baker et al. 5733-5763). Electrolytes should be included in various fluid replacements so that they efficiently help sprinters and other exercisers to reproduce all electrolytes and carbohydrates that are lost in the sweating realized when exercising.

Ingesting sports drinks when sprinting and exercising for aerobic and anaerobic activities increases endurance performance with sodium inclusions improving the transportation of intestinal glucose and promotion of absorption of net water (Stayton 1-12). When cycling in the heat, the knee extensor's maximal voluntary isometric contractions significantly reduce when there is no ingestion of fluids. The sports drinks possess useful nutritional components that play a significant role in the preservation of leg forces that are affected by long cycling times in hot environments (Stayton 1-12). Many drinks that contain glucose such as Gatorade, however, have low concentrations of sodium that preclude different ergogenic effects on the leg, muscle, and body force, making it hard to cope with other sprinters.

Sports drinks help in keeping body fluids at a balance and are divided into different flavors such as Gatorade, Powerade, and Accelerade. Gatorade and the other sports drinks play a significant role in hydrating and reintegrating nutrients lost when training and help the individuals stay prepared for the main competitions (Gharbi et al. 207). Body hydration, when sporting, is the best indicator of good health in the competitors, and dehydration acts as a limiting factor to the performances of different sprinting sports. Apart from hydrating the individuals using it, the carbohydrate drinks also help to prevent certain health conditions and improve their general performances. They also increase energy and to avoid pain in the joints and bones (Gharbi et al. 207). Amino acids in the drinks slow down fatigue making the sportspeople sprint fast as they also experience improved functioning of the muscles, boosted metabolisms, and more energy that enables them to hold their breath, especially in short sprints.

Water

Exercise

While Gatorade helps to stay hydrated, it is not advisable to drink it every day, and water is the best way to stay hydrated. For the replacement of electrolytes and carbohydrates, it is best to use fresh fruits and vegetables (Nalcakan 97-109). Whether individuals are serious athletes or are exercising for fun, they need to stay hydrated through drinking the correct amount s of water in the process of the exercises and aerobics. Water is an essential nutrient to be included in the diet of individuals exercising, especially with the fact that our bodies are made of more than 70% water.

It is crucial to ensure that individuals keep their total body water in the required values to avoid body breakdowns. Water helps to regulate the temperatures of the body and lubricate joints for better performances (Nalcakan 97-109). No rules exist as to how much water people are expected to drink when exercising because people are different; hence they have different sweat rates; they exercise in different humidities and heat environments and exercise for varying periods. The primary signal for the intake of water is thirst, and athletes should always ensure that they balance their intake and loss rates.

The American Council on Exercises suggests that people who exercise should drink water in different quantities based on the exercise they are performing (Gantois et al. 910). The exercisers should drink around half a liter of water two to three hours before they begin their exercises, quarter a liter every 10 to 20 minutes as the exercise continues, and around 200g of water 30 minutes after they are done with the exercise (Gantois et al. 910). The intake of water does not only depend on fluids. Certain solid foods such as vegetables and fruits provide water for the body; hence the exercisers should not ignore them.

Lack of adequate water when exercising causes dehydration, which decreases the performance of physical activities, which may lead to adverse health effects such as heat stroke, exhaustion, fatigue of muscles, and skeletal muscle breakdown (Spriet 16). A small amount of dehydration is likely to cause a decrease in the ability to perform athletically. Aerobic and anaerobic exercises lead to dehydration of water through sweat and heavy breaths, making it hard to get an effective workout because the muscles do not work well, and individuals experience a decrease in mental sharpness.

Water is a vital part of various chemical reactions found in the body as it helps it to work accordingly and individuals easily and effectively exercise with little complications. Hydrated athletes are more energetic and can work out more for more extended periods because the heart does not have to work stiffer to drive blood to different fragments of the body with oxygen and nutrients being carried to different muscles effectively (Piene 1-107). Water is an overlooked nutrient by many athletes, yet it is the most necessary when exercising. The body is designed in such a way that it cools itself down during periods of exertion, meaning that people lose water when they are exercising and are required to replace it several times during the exercises.

Aerobic and Anaerobic-Sprinting

The individuals that sprint in different games are required to drink water after and during their exercises, as it is beneficial to have a hydrated body that improves performance. When sprinters have an intake of water during training, they are easily able to replace the water lost in the body through sweating (Piene 1-107). The sweat is used as a mechanism of cooling the b...