Byline: CHRISTINA THAMES THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
YOU'RE about to leave for soccer practice when you open the refrigerator to grab a drink. Gatorade and water stare back at you. Which one should you choose?
Should you pass up both of them and head for the PowerAde machines near the field instead? Which beverage will really help your game and keep you hydrated?
These are questions that many athletic teens face every day, and with so many choices on the market, it can be tough to decide. Sports drinks such as Gatorade and PowerAde boast carbohydrates and B vitamins, while water holds appeal as being the beverage of choice for thousands of years. Then there are the hybrids: flavored waters, such as Gatorade's Propel. Other waters claim they provide more oxygen for a working body.
Cox High School freshman Alexi Achilleos, 14, is a member of the Olympic Developmental Program for soccer. He says even though Gatorade sponsors much of the Program, the guys are all given water to drink on the soccer field. Alexi admits to drinking Gatorade at home, but he agrees with Whitney Tripp, 15, a sophomore who cheers and plays tennis for Deep Creek High School. ``Sports drinks only make you more thirsty.''
Tennis player Heather Walton, 15, a sophomore at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, only drinks water.
``My coach recommends Gatorade, because it keeps you from getting dehydrated, but I just don't like it. Most of the other girls on my team drink Gatorade, though.''
Many teen athletes end up dehydrated, not because of what they drink, but because they fail to drink enough fluid at all. Once a person actually begins to feel thirst after athletic activity, his body has already started to dehydrate. So health professionals emphasize that it's important to drink two cups of liquid two hours before playing sports, and to continue to hydrate with one-half cup every 15 minutes or so. You should also continue to replace fluids in your body even after you have finished exercising.
Cool liquids are best, because they absorb into the body and refuel working cells faster. Basic water is a perfectly acceptable fluid replacement, particularly for workouts less than 60 minutes because it absorbs faster than any other substance.
Water will always work to keep you hydrated, but if maintaining a high-performance level is important, a sports drink with extra carbohydrates may be helpful.
``I find if I'm doing a long workout - say over an hour of cardio - I feel better if I get something in my body like Gatorade or Propel,'' said Devin Miller, 16, a junior at Norfolk Academy.
``I prefer the taste of Propel to water and Gatorade or other full-calorie sports drinks. Propel has the right amount of sweetness, but it doesn't have a lot of calories.''
Gregory Manuel, 15, a freshman at Norfolk Collegiate, agrees. ``Propel is a light fluid that quenches like water and gives you energy in 10 seconds.''
Gregory drinks Propel when he plays soccer and basketball, but he finds he can get away with drinking Gatorade - a heavier liquid that is ``like a healthy soft drink that doesn't really do anything'' - when he plays slower-paced baseball.
Whatever sports drink you choose should contain less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per 8 ounces, experts say. Any more than this will cause your body to have a hard time absorbing the liquid. Also, the drink should contain no carbonation, alcohol or caffeine. Most sports drinks are comparable to one another and meet these basic requirements, with the exception of AllSport, which is carbonated.
Carbohydrates aside, some of the other aspects of sports drinks will not necessarily enhance athletic performance. According to WebMd.com, the B vitamins in PowerAde really are just ``extras'' - you can normally get all the B vitamins you need in your daily diet, if you eat fairly healthly. Also, there is disagreement as to whether or not oxygenated water really does so much more for your body than regular water.
The greatest noticeable difference between plain water and sports drinks is that sports drinks have a pronounced flavor. This is the deciding factor for many athletes. If they like the taste better, they will drink more fluid, more often which is what their bodies need.
Such is the case with baseball player Matthew Whitlock, 16, a junior at Norfolk Academy. ``I drink water at home, but Gatorade for sports, because it has a great taste and it keeps me going.''
Ultimately, pick whatever beverage you like best. Sports drinks are generally more expensive than bottled water, but if cost is a factor, you should not worry. As Chad Byler, athletic trainer at Norfolk Academy assures: ``Water is still one of the best natural fluid replacements. It's tough to beat water.''
