My experience with Powerade

It is great to write about sport drinks but it is even greater to write about sport drinks after drinking one.

As stated by Powerade : "to avoid dehydration and get the most out of yourself and out of your sports drink, you should drink before, during, and after sport." So, that is what I did.

Before getting to the gym, I tested my Powerade Cherry at home. First impression: it is artificial, I hate the taste. My first reflex was to drink a full glass of water right after. But I was really intrigued so I went to the gym with my bottle in my bag.

Once at the gym, I get on the treadmill and start running with my Powerade in front of me. I strived to drink the half bottle during my 40 minutes running. It may have been psychological, but I felt powerfull, like if my body was more than ready to run like a champion. I have to admit that I felt under pressure with people around me. I was saying to myself "Ok Lucie, stay focused, you have a bottle of Powerade in front of you, you can not run for only 10 minutes and get off the treadmill breathless"

It is funny how a simple bottle can have an influence on the way you feel, more from the outside than the inside in my case. But after drinking a few stips of my Powerade in the "post-effort part" I did not really feel hydrated.

I have some doubts about the impact of this Cherry flavoured drink on my performance. 

I am not saying that it is completely inefficient, but rather that it is not really revolutionary.

When you watch their ads, you sense that nothing can stop you but when you finally try the product for the first time, you are a little bit disappointed. I was expecting much more than what it is for real.

That being said, I was wondering if my opinion was shared. So I asked 4 people at my gym if they have ever tried sport drinks and what they think about them.

1 of them admitted never having tried any of them, she told me that it was unnecessary and probably bad for the health. I still believe that she had a very strict opinion for someone who never tried the product!

The 3 others already tried but are not regular users.

Within these 3, Marc, said that he was drinking Gatorade drinks when he felt tired or numb before going to its training. I found it quite interesting. A lot of people are justifying the use of those drinks by a state of fatigue. But as far as I know, it not why it should be consumed. Most of sports drink, including Powerade or Gatorade, recommend a continuous consuption before, during and espacially after the effort to recover.

I really think that they are mainly professionals using those drinks the right way, especially here is France where sports drink are not putting forward on store shelves.In fact, they are nearly invisible. I struggled a lot to find my Powerade bottle in a supermarket. Only two brands were displayed in the refrigerated shelf of the Carrefour City where I found mine.

To summarize this experience, I think sport drinks can be efficient if you drink them the right way, with a very specific routine. But don't think it will turn you into Usain Bolt right away. Personally, I am sure I will not start to include it in my sport's routine and will for sure not become a big consumer! Beyond making me thirsty, it has done nothing.

Lucie Lowe