Do not drink cola within half an hour before or after sports
For many people, drinking an ice-cold cola and gulping it down in one go after outdoor sports, followed by a burp, feels “very refreshing.” However, feeling good doesn’t mean it’s healthy. In the eyes of sports nutrition experts, cola is the last thing you should drink after exercising—it could even lead to “acidosis.”
After fitness or exercise, people often feel muscle and joint soreness as well as mental fatigue. The main reason is that the body's sugar, fat, and protein are broken down in large quantities, producing acidic substances such as lactic acid and phosphoric acid during the process. This puts the body in an acidic state. Since cola contains carbon dioxide and phosphoric acid, drinking it adds more acid to an already acidic environment, preventing the body’s pH from being neutralized, making it harder to dispel fatigue. If these acidic substances cannot be smoothly expelled from the body, they can accumulate like toxins, increasing the burden on the kidneys and potentially leading to acidosis.
Moreover, carbonated beverages can irritate the gastric mucosa, reducing your appetite. Drinking cola before exercising may cause gastrointestinal bloating, which could lead to abdominal pain during physical activity. Therefore, experts suggest that you avoid drinking cola for at least half an hour before or after exercising.
It is recommended to drink sports drinks after outdoor sports
Sports drinks are nothing new—supermarkets have featured many brands of them in recent years. Of course, this has also sparked no shortage of debates, with some arguing that sports drinks shouldn’t be consumed casually. Experts’ view is that while regularly drinking sports drinks is not recommended, it can still be beneficial to your health after intense exercise.
During strenuous exercise, the rate of water metabolism increases, leading to significant fluid loss; at the same time, the process of electrolyte metabolism also accelerates, with large amounts of electrolytes being lost through sweat. Failing to replenish fluids during exercise can lead to exercise-induced dehydration. “Some say that sports drinks meant for athletes are not suitable for ordinary people, but that’s an overstatement,” professional sports drinks are indeed more targeted, but for the average person, regular sports drinks are sufficient to meet the body’s needs—drinking athlete-specific drinks might be overkill.
It is understood that sports drinks generally contain sugar and electrolytes, with the composition and content of various nutrients tailored to the physiological characteristics and special nutritional needs of athletes. However, sports drinks are not suitable for everyone. People with high blood sugar or diabetes should be especially cautious when consuming them. Additionally, those with high blood pressure or poor heart or kidney function should avoid drinking them in large quantities to prevent additional strain on the heart and kidneys.
In addition to sports drinks, experts also recommend drinking mineral water because sweat contains minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus, so it is very important to replenish these minerals in a timely manner.