What's Up With Sports Drinks?

I wonder if I'm the only one who cringes when I see well-meaning athletes guzzling huge amounts of neon green sports drinks after a hard workout.  I know we need to replenish fluids and electrolytes after excessive sweating or other dehydrating activities (like drinking alcohol), but do we really need to compromise other aspects of our health in the process?

Can you imagine what shady characters had to be added to sports drinks to get those bright colors? And fruity flavors--when they contain NO fruit juice? Not to mention the huge amounts of sugar necessary to make it taste good. I don't really care to explore the details, but my common sense tells me that commercial sports drinks should be avoided.

So, the primary electrolytes we need to pay attention to after exercising are potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. By the way, for workouts up to an hour, or on cooler days when there is not as much sweating going on, plain water is perfectly acceptable for hydration. Our bodies are adapted for exercise and sweating, so we need not panic and think we are going to die if we don't have some expensive sports drink on hand at all times.

I do need to replenish electrolytes after exercising because I sweat like some kind of farm animal once I get warmed up. Guess what the highest electrolyte-containing citrus fruit is?  That's right...lemon. So, if you're having lemon water every day, you're on the right track. 

Here are two simple recipes for totally natural "sports drinks" you can make at home, using ingredients you probably already have:

juice of a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon of maple syrup (of course, this means real maple syrup...don't even get me started on those "pancake syrups" you get at the grocery store)

(This next one closely resembles my morning smoothies...coincidence? Probably not.)

1 cup Almond milk
Handful of Kale
1 Banana

Enjoy this with a handful of almonds or peanuts, and your post-workout nutrition is complete.

Short on time? Grab a coconut water. It's easy to find now that it's popularity has exploded (be sure to get the plain kind with no added sugar or flavorings). It's a natural electrolyte boost and prevents muscle cramping.

Happy Exercising, friends!