Homemade Sports Drinks

Bottling your own athletic prowess at home

In the eyes of the law we’re all created equal. But let’s face it, there are billions of people roaming the earth, and it’s very rare to find two people with the same personal tastes. This is especially true when it comes down to foods and beverages. One person’s chocolate heaven may be another person’s stomach-churning hell.

If you think the average Joe is fussy, consider all of the elements that an elite athlete needs to consider before they consume any food or beverage. Not only is personal taste a concern, but the athlete needs to consider what ingredients will help them reach maximum performance. For that reason, sometimes the effect a food has on the body will outweigh how it tastes.

For example, I’m not fussy about cottage cheese, but I know that I need this quick and convenient source of protein for muscle repair, so I eat it anyway. The same rules apply when it comes to some pretty raunchy-tasting sports drinks. The elite athlete drinks them for the greater good. But, in a perfect world, wouldn’t it be nice to have both the taste and benefits?

Overall, sports drinks all serve the same higher cause. They replenish the body with essential hydration, vitamins and electrolytes that are lost when an athlete undergoes a particularly sweaty cardiovascular training session. However, just because there are hundreds of brands available in every different flavor doesn’t mean you can’t make your own.

People make their own sports drinks for various reasons. Some aren’t satisfied with the nutritional content available. Generally, all sports drinks contain between 50 and 70 calories in each 8-ounce bottle of fluid. Approximately 110 milligrams of sodium can also be figured into the mix. While this may be a perfect amount for some athletes, others might find they’re not getting enough of what they need out of these mass-produced bottles.

After all, just because Lance Armstrong eats steak after he trains, or abstains from sex before a competition, it doesn’t mean that you’ll get the same results if you do the same. A decent sports drink can be made pretty easily at home and at a lower price as well. You can also add any type of flavoring you like and make it taste as strong as you please.

Don’t be afraid to let your creative juices flow when making your own sports drink. You may want to dilute some fruit juices or add sugar-free juice to bring the calorie level down. Making your own also means that you have control over the sodium content, so you can add more or less salt. You even have control over how many calories and carbohydrates go into your drink. On top of that you can create strawberry-banana-peanut butter juice if that’s what you like.

Remember though, before you make your own drink do some research so you have an understanding of the proper combination of ingredients and what they do to your body. You should always test your sports drink recipes out during training, and not during competition, just in case you have gone overboard on the mixture or haven’t made it potent enough.