During badminton activity, is it better to drink water or the gatorade/powerade?

Hmm... Deja Vu. Haven't I read this question before;)?

this is a definetely old thread :) do a search.

I take water by the way :)

Kenny,

You can get what you want in these threads :

Rehydration Drinks (Isotonic etc...) (http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9873)

and

How much water do you drink ? (http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=96898#post96898)

to use the folowing products after playing in my first tournament a yr ago and feeling very run down afterwards. I find them easy to mix and consume. Whilst I cannot say they 'definately' work as I am sure my fitness had gotten better I definately felt better the next day

http://www.cytosport.com/

I used the cytomax and the 'gulp and go'

This topic has come up recently in a lecture (Human Kinetics), and the professor stated that drinks like Powerade, Gatorade, etc. do work but the minerals and electrolytes (or whatever they boast to replenish) are only lost by the body after a significant amount of exercise effort over a long period of time. So basically drinking such drinks are unnecessary during a couple hours of badminton unless you play at a high enough capacity where you're running many kilometers during that time. The professor used long distance runners as an example or athletes that continuously exercise for hours on end.

Gatorade is what you should drink during exercise. It is an electrolyte replenisher, and if you drink too much you have to pee every 5 minutes.

Phil

Originally posted by timeless
This topic has come up recently in a lecture (Human Kinetics), and the professor stated that drinks like Powerade, Gatorade, etc. do work but the minerals and electrolytes (or whatever they boast to replenish) are only lost by the body after a significant amount of exercise effort over a long period of time. So basically drinking such drinks are unnecessary during a couple hours of badminton unless you play at a high enough capacity where you're running many kilometers during that time. The professor used long distance runners as an example or athletes that continuously exercise for hours on end.

Hmm... do I sense another placebo effect issue here? (We'll need cooler to step in again on that one. ;) ) I swear I last at least twice as long when I'm drinking Gatorade than when I am drinking plain water.

Perhaps it isn't just the electrolyte? Maybe the sugar in there is also responsible for part of the boost?

-Rick

Originally posted by Phil
and if you drink too much you have to pee every 5 minutes.
Phil

I can get that effect from Pepsi, beer, coffee, or just plain water.

Originally posted by Neil Nicholls
I can get that effect from Pepsi, beer, coffee, or just plain water.
Well, yeah.... :p But its worse with Gatorade if you drink it when you don't need to.

Phil

Originally posted by Neil Nicholls
I can get that effect from Pepsi, beer, coffee, or just plain water.

Especially the beer.

Hey,

Have u guys heard about Jianlibao ?Orange/Lemon series.That is the really magic water can get rid of the tire during games,and it can refresh you in a short time.I usually drink it between and after badminton games when i am in Guangzhou,but no sales of this soft drink in CA.

Why it is called Magic-Water? It is from the triumph of China female volleyball team which won their 1st Olympic champion in 1984.LA.I don't remember it clearly,but i guess so.Because of this kinder water,the energetic chinese ladies were never exhausted and defeated US eventually.

check it out: http://www.jianlibao.com.cn

Will anybody import this water from China to CA.I guess he is going to be the rich by turning the Magic water into money...haha

The purpose of these "Sports" drinks is dual purpose.

1. Rehydration
2. Delivering Fuel to the body.

Depending on how long & how intense you play badminton you'll get different benifits.

Playing for any length of time/intensity you'll use up your reserves of Glycogen in your muscles & your body needs to turn to other sources of fuel. i.e. Fat conversion/muscle canibilisation

If you drink a "sugary" drink e.g. coke, Lucozade,gatorade etc. they provide a quick source of energy to use.
Lucozade/gatorade use Glucose which is the simplist of sugar's & the easiest/quickest for the body to convert into energy.

The other aspect that these drinks fulfil is rehydration. This is water, salts, & electolytes that are lost during perspiration. The salts/electrolyte replacement can help prevent cramp & fatigue.

Anyway, depending on peoples preferences an energy drink or water & a banana can be just as effective as each other if you get the timing right.

I have a 2 litre bottle which I fill with a 500ml lucozade sport (lemon flavour) and 1.5litres of water. It tastes rubbish, but I figure it's like hedging my bets, water plus a sports drink. Should be safe with that!!

could it also be a case of psychological effect, because if you take gatorade or any similar sport drink you "feel" more quenched thus "feel" more rehydrated than just taking plain water?

the reason i asked this is because i noticed how some people from my club becomes more aggressive in playing after taking gatorade precisely because they feel more rehydrated than us who only takes plain water.

Hi,

At the moment i am trying something called Herbalife. It's a drink that just dilutes the water (like the new lucozade hydro water?). Anyway, only had it a few days but meant to increase endurance. Will let you know how i get on

Matt

I'm pretty sure that to hydrate the body, it takes more than just water (either that or water takes more time to hydrate the body- any biologists in the house?).

When dehydrated, the body loses salts, electrolytes and water. Obviously you can replenish the water in the body with drinking more water, but you can't replenish the salt and electrolytes.

I have a real world example. Over the holidays I was sick and feeling tired. When I went to see the doctor, he said I was feeling sick because I was dehydrated! This is even though I was drinking probably 16 cups of water a day. He told me I needed salt in my body also, and he advised to drink Gatorade. After drinking Gatorade for one/two days, I felt better and regained energy.

I know this isn't exactly a scientific test, but just my humble experience. :)

Hi,

At the moment i am trying something called Herbalife. It's a drink that just dilutes the water (like the new lucozade hydro water?). Anyway, only had it a few days but meant to increase endurance. Will let you know how i get on

Matt
herbalife? :eek:

Especially the beer.
but beer dehydrates...

To be honest you'd probably get the same effect if you mixed in some sugar with a little bit of salt into plain water. Rehydrating/re-energizing your body has to do with Na/K pumps in the lumen of your intestine and the how it affects the uptake of glucose and water into your system...

Big long complicated process, but that's generally my take on the whole sports drink thing. That or I'm just too cheap to buy sports drinks. :rolleyes:

Hi,

At the moment i am trying something called Herbalife. It's a drink that just dilutes the water (like the new lucozade hydro water?). Anyway, only had it a few days but meant to increase endurance. Will let you know how i get on

Matt

Interesting. That new lucozade tastes weird but it does rehydrate you really quickly. It says its hypotonic, can't remember exactly what that means in technical terms but I think that it gets into your system faster than a hypertonic drink such as Lucozade sport. Herbalife sounds like a new age drink. Where did you get it?

During games Powerade or Gatorade would be better than water.

Interesting. That new lucozade tastes weird but it does rehydrate you really quickly. It says its hypotonic, can't remember exactly what that means in technical terms but I think that it gets into your system faster than a hypertonic drink such as Lucozade sport. Herbalife sounds like a new age drink. Where did you get it?

Main reason that Lucozade tastes "Weird" to most people is that it has Salts in it.

Hey,

Have u guys heard about Jianlibao ?Orange/Lemon series.That is the really magic water can get rid of the tire during games,and it can refresh you in a short time.I usually drink it between and after badminton games when i am in Guangzhou,but no sales of this soft drink in CA.

Why it is called Magic-Water? It is from the triumph of China female volleyball team which won their 1st Olympic champion in 1984.LA.I don't remember it clearly,but i guess so.Because of this kinder water,the energetic chinese ladies were never exhausted and defeated US eventually.

check it out: http://www.jianlibao.com.cn

Will anybody import this water from China to CA.I guess he is going to be the rich by turning the Magic water into money...haha

This product was heavily marketed in the NYC area for about a year in the mid/late 90's. Never really took off. It tasted alot like 7up/sprite to me. Too much carbonation to get down fast when your really thirsty.

Few weeks ago, I was playing in a tournament and for about the first time in a while I drank only water save one gatorade at the start of the tournament. (I usually drink only Gatorade or a mix) After a long 3 game match (Singles), my legs cramped up during warm up for my match after that, and I couldn't even stand up. This was my 5th singles match of the night. I sat and waited during the 10 minute default period for the cramp to ease up. This was the first time I had ever experienced a leg cramp in my life.

As I was sitting there waiting for my leg to stop being to tense, it was suggested by a few people to drink some Gatorade, so someone brought me one and I drank it. By the end of the ten minutes, my leg felt fine, but a few rallies into the game I could feel the cramp coming back so I defaulted.

Because I hadn't been restoring electrolytes to my body, my leg got cramped and now I will always drink Gatorade.

Phil

I have a 2 litre bottle which I fill with a 500ml lucozade sport (lemon flavour) and 1.5litres of water. It tastes rubbish, but I figure it's like hedging my bets, water plus a sports drink. Should be safe with that!! Really? I have a powder formulation which water is added to. It's supposed to make 1 litre but I find that too strong for me. My preference is to make it up to approx 1.25 litres. Perspiration is supposed to contain relatively more concentrated in electrolytes than water so one needs to replace some of the salt.

Bottom line is, I do not think you can ever replace electrolytes and water adequately during the exercise (unless you are doing light exercise). Make sure you have balanced fluid and electrolytes before important training or tournaments or long sessions. The electrolyte drink is there to help you last longer (which Phil found out).

Hypotonic is better for absorption but too hypotonic and the situation becomes like drinking water. I do not know where the threshold lies. The finer details can be argued ad nauseum. The bottom line is, unless you carry a machine that can measure the osmolality accurately, the taste is the best (albeit roughest) guide! :o

Really? I have a powder formulation which water is added to. It's supposed to make 1 litre but I find that too strong for me. My preference is to make it up to approx 1.25 litres. Perspiration is supposed to contain relatively more concentrated in electrolytes than water so one needs to replace some of the salt.

Bottom line is, I do not think you can ever replace electrolytes and water adequately during the exercise (unless you are doing light exercise). Make sure you have balanced fluid and electrolytes before important training or tournaments or long sessions. The electrolyte drink is there to help you last longer (which Phil found out).

Hypotonic is better for absorption but too hypotonic and the situation becomes like drinking water. I do not know where the threshold lies. The finer details can be argued ad nauseum. The bottom line is, unless you carry a machine that can measure the osmolality accurately, the taste is the best (albeit roughest) guide! :o

That's the aim of these sports drinks. . to balance the electrolyte/salt/water concentration to match the loss through sweating.
Not entirely perfect as everybody is different but generally a good approximation.

I was just thinking that, perhaps if I just add some salt to water, will it just nearly be as good as sports drinks?Since both salt and water are the main factors that we need anyway :)

I was just thinking that, perhaps if I just add some salt to water, will it just nearly be as good as sports drinks?Since both salt and water are the main factors that we need anyway :)

Depends on if you get the balance right.
Thing is though your going to miss out on potassium.

If your going the "natural" route then water with a banana is a good source of all the elements that you need.

Check this site out if you really want to know about how these drinks work.
http://www.thelssa.com/

Depends on if you get the balance right.
Thing is though your going to miss out on potassium.

If your going the "natural" route then water with a banana is a good source of all the elements that you need.

Check this site out if you really want to know about how these drinks work.
http://www.thelssa.com/
Guess what, I tried it yesterday, just the water and salt, and it was good :)

It's about 0.25 gallen water + 1 soup spoon salt, and it tasted good

Guess what, I tried it yesterday, just the water and salt, and it was good :)

It's about 0.25 gallen water + 1 soup spoon salt, and it tasted good

I've just been doing some research for a mate who's doing the marathon & doesn't want to carry a drink around with him.
We're reckoning 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every 500ml of water he gets at a water station & a carbo-gel pack.

1 soup spoon of salt ? ! ? ! :eek:

I've just been doing some research for a mate who's doing the marathon & doesn't want to carry a drink around with him.
We're reckoning 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every 500ml of water he gets at a water station & a carbo-gel pack.

1 soup spoon of salt ? ! ? ! :eek:
I guess I have a slightly heavier taste ;)

(come on, 1 soup spoon of salt in a 0.25 gallon of water isn't that much.... :D)

Just wanted to add an update to this "not-so-old" thread.

It's generally hot here in the Philippines. In my 2-3 hrs of playing, i usually consume about 2-3 bottles of gatorade plus half a liter of water, without having to go to the bathroom to pee in that duration. In other words... i sweat like a pig.

I was looking for a cheaper alternative to sports drink because between me and my wife, i spend about $3.5/night; $10/week; $40/month on sports drink alone.

Anywayz... i thought i'd share a homemade recipe i found on the net

http://www.davidhays.net/running/sportsdrink.html

This next link comes from gatorade, so i'd take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.gssiweb.com/pdf/GatoradeMythFactBroch.pdf

Just wanted to add an update to this "not-so-old" thread.

It's generally hot here in the Philippines. In my 2-3 hrs of playing, i usually consume about 2-3 bottles of gatorade plus half a liter of water, without having to go to the bathroom to pee in that duration. In other words... i sweat like a pig.

I was looking for a cheaper alternative to sports drink because between me and my wife, i spend about $3.5/night; $10/week; $40/month on sports drink alone.

Anywayz... i thought i'd share a homemade recipe i found on the net

http://www.davidhays.net/running/sportsdrink.html

This next link comes from gatorade, so i'd take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.gssiweb.com/pdf/GatoradeMythFactBroch.pdf

DO YOU KNOW!? that glatorade can cure Head Aches? yeah it is really true. ive read it from a book.

Seems like you are quite much spot on Cheung. I'd say that for just one match or a playing session about +1 hour you'd do as well with just water. But if passing 2 (maybe more) hours of exercise or, as in Phils case, playing a tournament with several matches the same day then it would be good to take a mixture of water and the prefered sportsdrink. Either follow the prescriptions on the packet (or do as Cheung) or do as woop.

Personally I find my prefered balance is aprox. 2 parts of water and 1 part of sportsdrink. But I don't mix them together, instead I have it in separate bottles. Ususally the tournaments in Sweden are so-called 2-pool, iow pools of 4 players in round-robbin and the 2 first advance to knock-out play (last 16 or 8 depending on numbre of participants). So in the first match I start drinking only water, then changing to sportsdrink in second and water again in third. If advancing it will be both water and sportsdrink until getting defeated:) Ordinary training sessions (= friendly play) of 1-2 hour I only drink water, no need to waste money.

Remember (as stated by Cheung) key is to have balanced fluid and electrolytes *before* and may I add to restore quickly *after* exercise. Only if playing lots of matches in short time (tournament) or looooong sessions you'd be helped by drinking sportsdrinks during exercise.

/ mats

Really? I have a powder formulation which water is added to. It's supposed to make 1 litre but I find that too strong for me. My preference is to make it up to approx 1.25 litres. Perspiration is supposed to contain relatively more concentrated in electrolytes than water so one needs to replace some of the salt.

Bottom line is, I do not think you can ever replace electrolytes and water adequately during the exercise (unless you are doing light exercise). Make sure you have balanced fluid and electrolytes before important training or tournaments or long sessions. The electrolyte drink is there to help you last longer (which Phil found out).

Hypotonic is better for absorption but too hypotonic and the situation becomes like drinking water. I do not know where the threshold lies. The finer details can be argued ad nauseum. The bottom line is, unless you carry a machine that can measure the osmolality accurately, the taste is the best (albeit roughest) guide! :o

Just wanted to add an update to this "not-so-old" thread.

It's generally hot here in the Philippines. In my 2-3 hrs of playing, i usually consume about 2-3 bottles of gatorade plus half a liter of water, without having to go to the bathroom to pee in that duration. In other words... i sweat like a pig.

I was looking for a cheaper alternative to sports drink because between me and my wife, i spend about $3.5/night; $10/week; $40/month on sports drink alone.

Anywayz... i thought i'd share a homemade recipe i found on the net

http://www.davidhays.net/running/sportsdrink.html

This next link comes from gatorade, so i'd take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.gssiweb.com/pdf/GatoradeMythFactBroch.pdf
Or you can just buy gatoarde powder? My local stores sells $5 a tub. Good for 8 liters.

Well it depends on the facility. If there a water soften with salt, it might not be too good. Some of the more professional facilities provide better water fountains. Energy drinks are very effective, but also has a cost.

mmm what about this idea that the sugar in the drinks causes an insulin response, that ends up lowering blood glucose levels?

I've been using 1/2 tablet of Hydrite mixed with 500ml water for hydration purposes. I do drink water and Gatorade sometimes (too lazy to make my mix).

Drinking only water in high quantities (on in quick succession) makes me bloated, i think it is not readily absorbed. When I play I can feel the water in my stomach. When I drink only water, I only take small sips in around 5 minute intervals, sometimes just enough to wet my mouth.

Gatorade is just too damned pricey here but it works! :)

Drinking only water in high quantities (on in quick succession) makes me bloated, i think it is not readily absorbed. When I play I can feel the water in my stomach. When I drink only water, I only take small sips in around 5 minute intervals, sometimes just enough to wet my mouth.


Timely comments when taken in the context of these articles on hydration from earlier this spring.

http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept37389/files/217322.html

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/352/15/1550

Interesting to say the least, (note: I'm not qualified to say weather the content is right or wrong).

the posted links are indeed very interesting

thank you for sharing it.

mmm food for thought indeed....they dont believe the sports drinks contain enough salts?

my own recipe is to make a mild ribena (black currant cordial) with a pinch of salt ... it works fine for me for the past years ... cheaper and less complicated mixture of "sport drink" ;)