Photo: Detroit Lions

There might be a plethora of sport drink options on the market, but some athletes still aren't hydrating properly. This is true in all sports and at every level, but it's particularly a problem in high school football. Last year, heat stroke was the cause of death for four young football players -- but it's preventable.

That's Fit had a chance to talk to about hydration with Matthew Stafford, former Georgia Bulldog and current Detroit Lions quarterback after going #1 in the 2009 NFL draft. Having grown up in Texas and played college football in the South, Stafford has always been cognizant of the importance of getting enough water. He's now taking part in a joint effort between Gatorade and the NFL called Beat the Heat.

That's Fit: Have you had any scares or personal experience with severe dehydration?

MS: I had never really cramped or had a problem, and then, when [Georgia] was playing South Carolina, I cramped up so badly. I had both legs going at the same time -- it was scary, I couldn't even walk. I realized then how important it is to not just hydrate during the game, but before.

If you're an everyday athlete -- a Saturday night softball league pitcher, a runner who beats the pavement nightly, a biker who braves back country trails, a hard-core gym rat, or any other fitness enthusiast you may be just the person Gatorade is looking for.

One catch ... your name has to be Serena.

Gatorade is going to launch a new campaign for its G2 sports drink. They're looking for everyday athletes (who happen to be named Serena) to star in commercials with tennis great, Serena Williams. Shape magazine has the details.

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I know it's hard to feel sorry for celebrities, but imagine this -- your job is dependent upon you looking good, but, another part of your job is to attend premieres, awards ceremonies, and festivals, all of which basically require you to drink lots of champagne and eat out at celebratory dinners with your costars. Oh, and being famous, you can't use the hotel gym without getting mobbed. How do you stay fit during awards season?

This year, Gatorade is trying to help the stars attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah by providing the first ever full-service fitness center, named the G Gym. Nick Cannon and Eliza Dushku are just a couple of celebrities who have already taken advantage of the opportunity to stay in shape. And, said celebs have the chance to help raise some money for charity at the same time.

Celebrities can schedule appointments with top trainers (like my personal fave, Gunnar Peterson) at the facility, which is stocked with state-of-the-art equipment, space for yoga/meditation, and a fully stocked Gatorade drink bar (natch), which will come in especially handy as most of these A-listers aren't used to working out at such a high altitude.

Back in the day, when I started playing basketball, I had two choices for drinks -- water or Gatorade, with a choice of Orange or Lemon-Lime. There might've been Fruit Punch, too, but I am not a fan.

Anyway, just as I've expanded my interests from strictly basketball to a variety of sports and fitness endeavors, Gatorade is stepping it up, too. "Just like any good athlete, Gatorade is taking it to the next level. Whether you're in it for the win, for the thrill or for better health, if your body is moving, Gatorade sees you as an athlete, and we're inviting you into the brand," said Gatorade's chief marketing officer.

And this brand is sporting a whole new attitude. Today's athletes want choices beyond a variety of flavors, and that's just what Gatorade is putting out there. The new names for the different types of Gatorade aim to convey the attitude of a tough-love coach or trainer, which will be evident on the new labels.

For years, Gatorade has been promoting its electrolyte-based drink as the athlete's choice. When we exercise, we lose a great deal of these body salts in our sweat, making their replenishment almost equally important as fluids. This is where Gatorade (and in recent years, Powerade) has excelled over other so-called sports drinks, and probably why most football coaches don't have tubs of Ensure dumped over their heads.

But in an ever-changing economy, many people find their disposable income to be less and less worth spending on things like sports drinks (that's assuming there's any disposable income to speak of at all). So, if you'd prefer to tuck your money away for what you consider to be more worthwhile things than electrolyte-replacing sports drinks, you can always make your own version of it at home.

Men's Health magazine suggests the following DIY recipe for a Gatorade-like, isotonic drink:

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 large pinch of salt

While it may not taste as good as Fierce Berry or Frost Glacier Freeze Gatorade, it should still provide you with approximately the same replenishment as those more expensive drinks.

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Dr. J. Robert Cade, the University of Florida doctor who invented Gatorade in 1965, died today at the age of 80 of kidney failure.

Cade invented Gatorade over forty years ago after a single question was asked of him by a former UF football coach: "Doctor, why don't football players wee-wee after a game?" The question obviously made Cade wonder for himself. His subsequent research led to the discovery that football players could lose as much as 18 pounds -- 90 to 95 percent of it being water -- over the course of a three hour game. Players were also found to sweat away sodium and chloride and actually lost blood volume and plasma volume.

This research led Cade and a few colleagues to develop a drink that would replenish the athletes' bodies and keep them properly hydrated. After trying a few different recipes, Cade's beverage soon made its way to the Florida Gators varsity football squad. That same year, the highly successful Gators were dubbed the "2nd-Half Team," referencing their ability to outlast their opponents in the later stage of play. This prolonged energy was largely credited to their use of Cade's drink, which would from then always be referred to as Gatorade.

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What would you do with $100 Million? Most of us can't even fathom having that sort of money, but for Tiger Woods, it's just another day at the office -- he recently signed a deal that will see him getting $100 Million to develop his own line of Gatorade.

Gatorade Tiger will hit stores in the spring, and Woods even choose the flavours himself -- citrus blend, cherry blend and grape. Woods feels god about endorsing Gatorade, because he claims it's something he drinks regularly. But take note: Just because Tiger drinks Gatorade doesn't mean you need it -- read this post of Rigel's on when you need sports drinks and when you should stick to water.

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Walk into the locker room of a professional sports team, and you may find the athletes acting like babies -- or drinking like babies anyway. Pedialyte -- a liquid often recommended for babies and children to replace fluid and electrolytes after a bout with the stomach flu -- has become popular with professional athletes for its ability to rehydrate quickly. With nearly twice the sodium of Gatorade and half the sugar, Pedialyte has apparently been popular with extreme athletes for some time and is now catching on with professional and amateur athletes alike.

Gatorade refuses to believe Pedialyte is a better product for sports enthusiasts and says it doesn't contain near enough of the right amount of sugars to fuel muscle. They have responded, however, by putting out Gatorade Endurance, which has more sodium and fewer calories. Health experts say that either drink should be safe for athletes to use, as long as they're healthy with good functioning kidneys, but if it were me, I'd check with my doctor first.

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Depending on how long you workout and exactly what kind of exercise you're doing, your body needs different things from you. Hydration is important across the board, but when it comes to drinking fluids there's a big difference between water and sports drinks. Do you need the calories and electrolytes? What about protein? Is plain water better in some situations?

Experts say that if you're exercising for an hour or less at one time all you really need is water. Only when your body is subjected to long endurance-type activities for more than an hour is it in need of a calorie boost and electrolyte replacement. If you're drinking calories during or after a shorter workout you're really just canceling out all the energy you just burned!

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It's another example of a good product getting changed and twisted for all the wrong reasons: PepsiCo has announced that due to popular demand it will soon begin selling a "diet" version of the popular sports drink Gatorade.

It's not that I'm fundamentally against low-sugar drinks (Gatorade has always tasted a little too sweet to me anyway) but the whole principle behind Gatorade is that it provides an energy boost (read: calories), electrolytes, and hydration to athletes who really push it to the limits. So when would you need a diet Gatorade? Is it really the same thing anymore? It might as well be a Diet Coke Plus, but available in a variety of fruit flavors.


Via Diet Blog

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We're usually too wrapped in in calories to consider another important factor to what we're drinking -- the acidity. Acidic drinks can not only lead to ulcers, but they can rot your teeth too. Fitsugar has a handy breakdown of the worst offenders acid-wise. What are the some of the worst offenders?

• Coke, with a pH of 2.63
• Pepsi at 2.49
• Gatorade at 2.95
• Doctor Pepper at 2.95
• Minute Maid at 2.8

For comparisons sake, consider this: Neutral pH (water) is 7.0. Battery Acid is 1.0 and you mouth's normal pH should be about 6.2-7.0. So if you haven't quit drinking soda for the sake of your health, maybe you should consider giving it up for the sake of your pearly whites?

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As you may remember, I've been trying my darnedest to get back on the running track. For the past two weeks or so I've really been kicking it into high gear. See, I kept getting these emails in my inbox alerting me as to how many days I had left until the New York City Marathon, a race in which I was entered at first solely by luck, and now by determination.

As anyone can imagine finding the time to run with a new baby is difficult at best. Lucky for me I have a great husband who is as committed to fitness as I am and who is willing to sacrifice some of his running time for mine. Generally speaking the baby is OK with my periodic trips around the park although he mentioned to me he can't wait for me to invest in a jogging stroller. After all, the whole time I was pregnant I hoofed it around that park, and baby misses our trips together.

So everything should be going super well, right? Well, mostly it is, but one thing has been plaguing me more than an old boyfriend, and is equally unsuited to my style: cramps. I am no stranger to cramps; in fact, they've haunted me since I first got serious about running way back when.

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Do you really know what is in that sports drink you have after a workout or training session? Check out the ingredients, then be prepared to most likely toss your sports drink out the window. I'm talking Gatorade-style kick-flip into the trash can if you ask me. So many sports drinks these days are filled with so much processed sugar (disguised in so many clever ways) that they might just pack more stored fat instead of truly hydrating the body.

Make no mistake -- the colorful, flashy packaging and advertisements are everywhere. But, in a rabid habit I have had for years, I thoroughly check the ingredients and "Nutrition Info" panel of everything I buy, save fresh fruits and vegetables. After looking for a very healthy sports drink alternative recently, I was turned onto Zico pure coconut water. Once I started researching this product, and finding reviews by trusted sources, I had to try it for myself. What a product! That's Fit's own Karen Walrond posted on Zico a few months ago, and after reading Karen's great description from her home in Trinidad (talk about getting fresh coconuts anytime!), I decided to try her advice combined with others who I trust that had reviewed the new Zico product on various web review sites.

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