Energy Drink is a type of beverage that contains a high level of stimulants, Caffeine, sometimes sugar, and other supplements such as Vitamins or Carnitine. It is capable of enhancing an individual’s physical performance, energy level, and mental alertness.
The manufacturers of energy drinks claim that they are based on proprietary formulas which boost energy levels in an individual. The stimulants work on the body because of the proportionate and specific mixture of all the ingredients.
Contents
- 1 What Are The Benefits Of Energy Drink Before & After Workout?
- 2 Things To Keep In Mind Before Buying An Energy Drink
- 3 Free of Artificial Colour or Chemicals
- 4 Primary Ingredients
- 5 No Added Sugar
- 6 Nutritional Benefits
- 7 Does Energy Drink Increase Sugar Level?
- 8 How Do Energy Drinks Help In Fitness?
- 9 Energy Drink – Before Workout or After Workout?
- 10 Final Thoughts!
What Are The Benefits Of Energy Drink Before & After Workout?
Energy drinks are different from sports drinks or electrolyte drinks. Sports drinks are used to work as a replacement for water or electrolytes during or after physical activity. The ingredients used in energy drinks are also different from that of sports drinks as the latter does not contain any sort of tea or Caffeine.
Energy drinks are not soft drinks and they began to emerge early during the 21st century because of the concerning public health issue of consuming soft drinks because of their major usage as a mixture for alcohol consumption. Products in the energy drink category include Red Bull, Redline, Monster Energy, Full Throttle, and many more.
Things To Keep In Mind Before Buying An Energy Drink
Working for long hours might drain your energy to a great extent and that is when you need an energy drink. An energy drink will work as a quick fix to your sluggishness and will prepare your body with the required energy.
But it is very important to look carefully at which drink you are choosing. It should be something that will give your enough energy while not harming your health in any way. Here are some of the key points that you should keep in mind before buying an energy drink.
Free of Artificial Colour or Chemicals
There are thousands of options for an energy drink in the market. But most of them are loaded with artificial colors and harmful chemicals. These chemicals might have an adverse effect on your body and overall health on long-term consumption.
However, there are drinks that are free from all these harmful ingredients that only give you the required energy and don’t cause any harm to your body. So make sure the energy drink you are picking is free from such things.
Primary Ingredients
Look for the ingredients in the bottle and read them carefully before purchasing any energy drink. Water should be listed at the top as it is the primary ingredient. An 8-ounce serving of an energy drink must contain 50-150 mg of sodium, 20-25 mg of potassium and the ideal way of consuming carbohydrates should be 30-60 grams per hour.
Consuming an energy drink with these perfect amounts of ingredients will reduce fatigue, increase your energy level and work efficiency.
No Added Sugar
Most energy drinks in the market are loaded with sugar which is not the healthiest way to boost the energy levels in your body. This is very harmful to people with diabetes as they make the blood sugar level increase which leads to oxidative stress and inflammation.
A study suggested that consuming such sugar-loaded energy drinks increases the blood sugar level of the body by 26%. Even normal individuals will feel sluggish if it is consumed regularly.
Hence it is always recommended to choose an energy drink that is sugar-free and only boots the energy level of the body without causing any harm to an individual’s overall health.
Nutritional Benefits
Most energy drinks contain nutrition which benefits your body by providing an adequate amount of energy. There must be a right blend of good nutritional elements that will make the energy drink provide you with maximum work efficiency.
The commonly used nutritional ingredients include Taurine, Ginseng, Guarna, L-Carnitine, Vitamin B3, and Vitamin B6. Apart from providing energy, they also help to maintain your overall health. All these ingredients have their own health benefits, which are very good for the body.
Does Energy Drink Increase Sugar Level?
There are innumerable energy drinks available in the market which contain a very high level of sugar. A typical diet with more than 35% of sugar adds to the increase of blood sugar levels and has no nutritional benefits.
Consumption of sweetened drinks develops the risk of type 2 diabetes in an individual and disturbs their normal blood sugar level. This may prove fatal for insulin-resistant individuals.
The fluctuations in blood sugar level may lead to dangerous symptoms like nervousness and seizures. All these conditions deteriorate the overall health and create a barrier for an insulin-resistant individual to lead a healthy life.
So, it is a must to check the energy drink you are drinking is low in sugar or sugar-free. You can also consult a physician before starting to consume any energy drink. Keeping a check on one’s blood glucose level is essential to living a happy and healthy life.
How Do Energy Drinks Help In Fitness?
During workouts, our body dehydrates through sweating. The salt content in sweat has essential nutrients like Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Sodium. Energy drinks provide these minerals for keeping the body active and replenishes the glycogen stores through simple or complex carbohydrates.
Energy drinks are great during or after your regular fitness routine. There are very advantages in maintaining your fitness, boosting your energy level and improving the overall health condition. Some of the fitness benefits of energy drinks are mentioned below:
✔️Provides Energy Boost
The basic and most important function of an energy drink is to provide energy boosts and make you feel energetic, alert, and productive. Fitness freaks and sportspeople must consume an energy drink before, during, or after their daily exercises routine. But make sure not to overconsume it, else it can make you ill and lead to stomach upset, jittery feelings, and other symptoms.
✔️Improves Motor Skills
Caffeine stimulates the Motor Cortex, the part of the brain associated with the activation of human muscles. Energy drinks contain Caffeine which gives you instant energy that lasts for almost six hours.
Motor skills improve your hand-eye coordination, which is needed during workouts. You should consume energy drinks at least 15 minutes prior to working out to increase your energy and stamina for work out.
✔️A Fast and Moderate dose of Caffeine
Caffeine makes you awake and controls sluggishness. Energy drinks contain a moderate amount of Caffeine which gives the required energy to your body. But unlike hot caffeine beverages like tea or coffee, you don’t have to wait for an energy drink to cool down before consuming it. It gives you a quicker consumption during workouts and gets into the bloodstream much faster.
Energy Drink – Before Workout or After Workout?
Energy drinks are beneficial for before workout and after workout consumption. Let’s study that in detail.
Energy Drink Benefits – Before Workout
✅Improves Mood
Energy drinks improve your mood and provide you the enthusiasm for working out. Many energy drinks contain Vitamin B, which regulates your mood and doesn’t make you feel lethargic.
✅Improves brain Function
Energy drinks also help in improving brain functions. It makes you more concentrated, helps in retaining memory, and reduces fatigue which in turn smoothens out the entire exercise process.
✅Contains Zero-Calorie
You must choose an energy drink which has very less or zero-calorie. Intaking calories before exercising is a very bad option. Energy drinks with less or zero calories help you to exercise more without getting tired easily.
Energy Drink Benefits – After Workout
✅Helps in Post Workout Replineshmenet
After a long-term activity, we tend to sweat and our body gets dehydrated. By this process, essential minerals get released from our bodies.
This makes us tired and sluggish. Energy drinks contain enough essential nutrients which fulfill the requirement and retain the energy level.
Energy drinks contain salts including calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium, which are very important for the proper functioning of our body.
Final Thoughts!
So, after reading all the facts and details about Energy Drinks, it is clear that energy drinks are essential for our body to boost energy level, eliminate fatigue, or during and after workouts. Energy drinks are definitely a good option if you are lethargic and looking for something to provide you with the required energy and to improve your efficiency.
Remember that energy drinks are different from sports or health drinks. Energy drinks do not promise to improve your poor health condition. It gives you energy, stamina and makes you feel energetic and active.
Apart from that, make sure the energy drink you purchase does not contain any type of artificial color or chemicals and added sugar. These ingredients might turn harmful to your health rather than providing benefits.
Buy an energy drink that is rich in essential nutrients which are good for your body. Also, if you are allergic or have any other medical conditions, do consult a physician before consuming any energy drink.
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