Gatorade: Weight Loss Sabotage???

When my weight loss journey started to include running, I would constantly find myself drinking sports beverages, such as Gatorade.  I would research everything I needed to know about running and part of that research included what I needed nutritionally as a runner.  One of the "essential" items was sports drinks to ensure that I would replace the electrolytes I would lose in sweat.  Sports drinks, in fact, do help replace electrolytes, but at a cost.

When exercising heavily, you lose electrolytes in your sweat, particularly sodium and potassium. These electrolytes must be replaced to keep the electrolyte concentrations of your body fluids constant. So, many sports drinks have sodium chloride or potassium chloride added to them. In addition, they include sugar and flavorings to provide your body with extra energy and to make the drink taste better.

Electrolytes are important because they are what your cells (especially nerve, heart, muscle) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes and to carry electrical impulses (nerve impulses, muscle contractions) across themselves and to other cells. Your kidneys work to keep the electrolyte concentrations in your blood constant despite changes in your body.

Water is a perfect source of hydration even for physically active people. Gatorade is a great way to stay hydrated as well, but if you look at the nutritional information of a bottle of a sports drink, the calories and sugar content isn't much different from a can of Coca Cola.  Also, they contain sodium (salt) so anyone who has been told to watch their sodium intake should limit the sports beverages they're consuming

Fortunately, there are natural ways to ensure your electrolytes aren't depleted like eating bananas or oranges.  Lots of fruits and vegetables can provide you the service you are looking for in a bottle of a sports drink.


I wouldn't say, it's never appropriate.  I recommend a sports drink for any physical endurance lasting longer than an hour.  Water should be sufficient for any exercise or sport lasting less than 1 hour.

Many individuals trying to lose weight may find the pounds aren't coming off as much as they expect because of all the hard work they are putting in at the gym.  But maybe, we are consuming too many calories while at the gym.  I encourage you to replace your sports drink with good old water.  It's the best way to hydrate.  Sports drinks should only be limited to activities over 1 hour.

So, grab yourself a bottle of water and save yourself about 130 calories and 30 grams of sugar.

Now get out there and show yourself what your made of!  Have a strong day!

Your Personal Trainer,
Andi Dornelas

Hydration & Long Runs

So, it's been a few days since my 12 miler on Saturday.  After the run I felt sore and exhausted.  I knew that the soreness was probably because of being tense from the cold, wind, and rain.  What I couldn't figure out was why I was feeling so worn down and exhausted.  It took me a very long time to catch my breathe.  I drove home, took a shower, and still was feeling a bit out of breath.

Disclaimer:  I'm about to say something a bit nasty, but I'm sure most can relate.

After going to the bathroom and seeing the color of my urine, I realized why I was so exhausted.  I was not properly hydrated.*  Where did I go wrong?  I've been thinking about this since that day.  It's now Monday night and this run was on Saturday morning.  Obsessive much?  Yes, I am!

 *Dehydration causes fatigue because if your body doesn't have enough fluid, it draws fluid from your bloodstream, making your blood thicker.  When your blood is thicker, it puts more strain on your heart resulting in fatigue.

I know I hydrated properly the evening before...and the morning of.  So, I must have failed properly hydrating myself DURING my run.  I have to admit that I usually drink more water than I did this past week.  Our friends from Patriot's Landing in DuPont are always out there (rain or shine) on the 3 mile route handing us bottled water.  They truly are awesome and put a smile on my face every week.  I usually take a bottle and sip on it during the course of the run.  I haven't yet mastered the art of running and drinking at the same time, so I usually have to stop to drink.  Lately, I've taken a bottle and have practiced drinking on the run.  I'm slowly mastering the skill.  (Sounds silly, I know).  Back to the point.  This week, I didn't take a bottle with me because I didn't feel like carrying it.  It was cold, windy, and raining.  No thank you, I couldn't be bothered with carrying that bottle for miles.  BIG MISTAKE!

I did have a small cup of water at the other water stops and had a cliff bar as well.  So, I'm sure my issue was not having enough carbs.  Side note: I finally have learned how to eat and run at the same time...I know! Silly. But on long runs, it's essential.  For those training for the ultra marathon (the 12 miler), I stashed some water and gatorade along our route.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at that point, my cooler was gone.  Someone took it.  Not sure if someone wanted the cooler, the contents, or took it by accident to store for Wear Blue.  At first I don't think any of us minded much, but when we headed back to the park, that water was really missed.  In reality we went almost 1 hour without hydrating while running.  NO GOOD.

I don't think I felt it much during the run because it was extremely cold, windy, and raining.  I just wanted it to be over.  You don't really feel yourself sweating and I guess the rain prevents you from feeling dry (even dry mouth).  However, it was a great learning experience.  No matter what the weather, how much you sweat, or how you feel at the moment, you must hydrate. 

This is why long runs when training for endurance events are so important.  You learn what works and what doesn't work.  What you should and shouldn't do/wear.  What you feel comfortable with or in and what you don't. 

So, I leave you with 2 important things you should know as a runner.

1. Importance of Hydration
2. Importance of Long runs

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave me a note below.

Happy running.