Today I am going to breakdown the difference between drink choices and how they can affect your workouts. The recommended serving size is eight fluid ounces, but I am going discuss what a 20 ounce serving can do. The human body is made up of almost all water and it is recommended that you drink at least 64 fluid ounces of water a day. I recommend drinking 80 to 90 ounces of water if you workout on a regular basis. Soda, tea, and coffee are a few examples of diuretics, which dehydrate the body.
Below is a breakdown of drink choices, calories in each, and how long it will take to burn. The following exercise information is based on a four mile per hour walking pace.
- First, water is the best choice, but does not have any vitamins, minerals, or calories (which is a good thing). So, drinking water does not require any extra exercise.
- Next, is diet soda, which is a diuretic, but has zero calories and requires no extra time on the treadmill either.
- A sports drink contains 125 calories per 20 ounces and contains vitamins and minerals as well. It takes nearly 20 minutes to burn a 20 ounce serving.
- Fruit juice (100%) contains plenty of sugar and 230 calories, which requires 34 minutes of exercise to burn.
- Lastly, a regular soda is loaded with sugar and carbohydrates and contains 250 calories. Regular soda requires 38 minutes of exercise to burn off.
Interesting, I never knew Diet Soda was a diuretic. I try to only drink water but allow one diet soda a day with dinner.