Consider the amount of sweat you produce during your daily workout. All that sweat is an indication that you're working hard, but your body is also experiencing a depletion of its valuable carbohydrate and water stores that keep it going. If you are not replenishing these sources before, during and after you work out, you're not only robbing your body of fuel, but you're also not achieving the maximum benefits of a great workout - guaranteed.

So what's the low down on sports drinks? All the marketing, packaging and pro-sports celebrity backing comes at a cost, but what are the benefits for you the consumer?

When an athlete is dehydrated, their performance is impaired. And therefore it is harder to make that last set count, to go the distance or to achieve the maximum target for your workout. When you deplete the amount of fluid your body has, through sweating and do not replace it, negative impacts can be expected. And prolonged dehydration eventually lead to circulatory collapse and heat stroke. Not good!

If you lose 2% of your body weight as sweat expect to experience impaired performance, 4%; your capacity for muscular work declines, 5%; heat exhaustion, 7%; hallucinations, and 10%; circulatory collapse and heat stroke. It doesn't take much fluid loss through sweat (your body's way of cooling itself down) to experience dangerous health side effects. The first source of fluid your body looks for during dehydration is your organs.

It is important to keep your body hydrated all of the time, as soon as you experience the sensation of thirst; it is your body's way of signalling that you are already on the verge of dehydration. Re-hydrating your body before, during and after a workout is as essential as it is during really hot days. On a side note, don't forget to hydrate small children and pets, as they may suffer dehydration faster because of their size and inability to express how thirsty they are or how they feel.

Water is essential to re-hydrate the body, but what about the carbohydrates discussed earlier, the pure, and long lasting, fuel source for energy in the body? Carbs are stored as glucose (sugar) in the body and is the most efficient energy source because it takes less oxygen to burn than fat or protein. During a hard exercise it would be reasonable to say that 3-4 grams of carbohydrates are lost every minute. If exercise is continued, and the carbs are not replenished, expect decreased performance and a minimum of 24-48 hours for your body to completely recover.

Consuming plain water over periods of exercise is very good, but drinking too much water will cause bloating, suppression of thirst and further drinking and is not retained for as long a period as a sports drink. Water contains no carbohydrates or electrolytes.

The insertion of carbohydrates, and electrolytes (minerals such as chloride, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, sodium and potassium), in sports drinks are documented to speed up fluid absorption into the body, provide the athlete with carbs, and thus aid in a quick recovery. The key to sports drink success? A flavourful product may taste better than water, as your sense of taste and smell is heightened when you intake more oxygen working out.

There are essentially three types of sports drinks that contain different levels of fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes. They are: Isotonic, Hypotonic and Hypertonic drinks.

Isotonic types contain fluid, electrolytes, and about 6-8% carbohydrates. It replaces fluids lost by sweating quickly while supplying a boost of carbs. This is a very popular type for most athletes, including middle and long distance runners and those participating in team sports.

Hypotonic fluids contain fluid, electrolytes, and a low level of carbohydrates. This type also replaces fluid lost by sweating quickly. The difference is the amount of carbs in the mix. This type is suitable for athletes who may not require the extra boost of carbs, like jockeys or gymnasts.

Hypertonic fluids contain the highest level of carbs. This type of sports drink is used after exercising and to top off muscle glucose stores at the end of the day. When exercising, hypertonic fluids should be consumed in conjunction with isotonic fluids, to balance out your system.

It is important to note that commercial sports drinks are laden with sweeteners and preservatives. If you are interested in making your own fluid replacements follow the following simple recipes:

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