Should I drink water or sports drinks while exercising?

Should I drink water or sports drinks while exercising?

Jerry Pryde, MD, MPH, CIME (Clinical Chief, Department of Rehabilitation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: Should I drink water or sports drinks while exercising?; Is it possible to hydrate too much?; What do my muscles use for energy when exercising? and more...

Sport drinks are very helpful for long-duration activities. If you're riding a bicycle, if you're doing a spinning class, if you're training for a marathon, you want to keep hydrated and use a sport drink because they have some carbohydrate in them and they have electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, which will help you stay safely hydrated during the exercise activity. If you're working out in a gym you can choose any type of a drink you want. Plain water or a sport drink: it's purely preference there.