Sports are a great way to get fit, feel great and lose weight. 

As you play, you would want to see improvement. It could be improvements in your game, or how you look – getting trim, losing the flab and growing those muscles. But pumping yourself up to play sports or workout can be dangerous if you don’t know which options are truly the best.

Here is one of the five worst ways to boost sports performance: Energy Drinks

The quickest, easiest remedy for the no-time-to-eat-before-exercising dilemma is an energy drink. Energy drinks should be fine if it’s just one serving and not mixed with alcohol or medications. It’s also better if you have not had many cups of coffee earlier and if you do not have underlying health conditions. That being said, it’s best to not consume them at all.

You may know caffeine is a stimulant, which is great to perk you up and get you going. Consuming these drinks may make you feel more ready to workout, but it won’t help you go faster or longer.

Riding the high

Caffeine from all sources have a compounding effect.

The problem is not just caffeine. Energy drinks can contain other ingredients like guarana, taurine and yerba mate, which also act as stimulants. All the stimulants have a compounding effect that artificially raises your heart rate. Throw in the hard strenuous exercise/workout you are doing (that also raises heart rate and blood pressure), exhaustion, heat and dehydration, and you have a recipe for disaster.


Sports drinks are better, though you would only benefit from them if you were exercising for longer than 75 minutes. Remember, sports drinks are not health drinks. They contain a high amount of sugar just like soft drinks so only consume what is necessary.

Beat the bulge.

A calorie is a calorie.

To make it worse, why take away all the calories you just burned by consuming a sugar-filled drink? If you are trying to keep fit, get lean, and lose weight remember: a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Are the calories you’re consuming in that drink more than what you’re burning?

The bottom line is this: prepare in advance. It’s not worth downing an energy drink to perk you up before a game. Especially if you’ve already had a few coffees earlier in the day. And if your goal is to get in shape and lose weight, remember what you consume is as important as the workout you’ve just done.

Here are some tips to note when planning and starting new exercise programs. They are relevant for couch potatoes new to exercise, as well as someone who has had a break from exercise for an extended period of time.

1. Know your body, know your limits.
   There is no benefit from pushing yourself so hard too early on. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

2. Plan and set goals that are doable.
   Make realistic goals. Instead of saying you’ll exercise 4 times a week, set the target at 2. Accomplish twice weekly, and then move up to 3x, and 4x after that.

3. Understand there is good pain from working out, and there’s bad pain, because something is overstrained, overworked or injured.
   • Feeling sore the next day (sometimes two days!) is fine, as long as it doesn’t persist. Sore is different to pain. If something is painful, back off and give your body time to adapt to the new activity.
   • If you feel pain during and straight after your exercise, and it persists longer than 30 minutes, there is a high chance something has been overstrained and/or injured. Get it checked by a musculoskeletal specialist – like a sports trained chiropractor.

4. Give yourself variety.
   • Whether it’s adding a social aspect to exercise, or signing up a variety of classes from yoga, to high intensity aerobics, dance classes, to swimming. Creating a change in routine allows the body to stay alert, and use all your muscles, joints and ligaments creating a much better overall health and wellness.
   • This will also add to sustainability. “Same old same old” can get boring fast, so motivation can be lost quickly.

Please share these with your friends, colleagues, and family members who are considering or have started a new exercise program. I wish you all the success and safety in starting up a new healthy lifestyle habit, and that it allows you to accomplish your goals.

If you need advice, or help on how to start exercising, what types of exercises you should do or avoid because of certain aliments, or want a personalized training and fitness program, please drop me an email or call 6733 4439. You can also request for our most requested corporate talk “Keep Fit When You Sit” for your company or organization.

Together with my personal trainers, and yoga gurus, we’ll definitely be able to help you achieve your goals safely and effectively.

Train Wise, Train Well!

 Did you enjoy this post? Please comment, like and share!