Fitness freaks wasting money on energy drinks
By IANSMonday, October 4, 2010
LONDON - Fitness freaks who gulp energy drinks seem to be wasting their money.
While the drinks may be fine for people training for marathons, many exercisers just end up consuming excess of calories.
Nick Hudson, the national fitness manager for Virgin Active, said those doing workouts of less than two hours do not really benefit from the drinks.
“Many are simply ‘calorie drinks’ and drinking them means youll have to train longer or harder to shift the calories that you take in from the drink itself,” said a Daily Mail report quoting Hudson.
“Theyre useful for people who compete in events where theyll be exercising in excess of two hours. But those doing shorter, more intense workouts dont really benefit physiologically,” said Hudson.
However, Hudson added that it is important to avoid dehydration.
“From a taste perspective, if someone has become conditioned to dislike the taste of water, then its certainly better to drink these drinks than be dehydrated,” he said.
Most energy drinks contain carbohydrate to provide a quick source of fuel, and sodium, which helps to maintain fluid balance.
