Which drinks are best for you, and at what time of day?
06:45 – Green Tea
If you need caffeine to kick-start your day, trade in your regular morning fix for a steaming mug of green tea. Not only is it packed with antioxidants (particularly catechins which help people who exercise to lose more weight); a study conducted in Japan found that regularly drinking green tea could help boost endurance exercise performance by up to 24%.
09:00 – Orange Juice
After your morning exercise or commute, make sure you restore fluid levels by consuming something to aid recovery. Orange juice is perfect as the potassium lost from your muscles during exercise needs to be replaced to stop muscle cramping and cardiovascular irregularities.
Also the electrolytes in orange juice replace those lost through sweating, its carbohydrate content helps restore muscle glycogen, and vitamin C helps protect cells and keep them healthy.
11:00 – Water
Making up two thirds of your body weight and essential to maintain the health of every cell you have, water keeps your skin clear, your blood flowing and your muscles lean.
Even a small decrease in your body’s water content can lead to dizziness, headaches and fatigue. Water contains no calories, keeping you hydrated without putting on weight, especially if you’ve spent the best part of the morning sitting at your desk.
13:30 – Cherry Juice
Not only is it full of antioxidants, but tart cherry juice, according to research from Oregon Health and Science University, can be an effective pain reliever. In the study, long-distance runners who drank the juice twice a day for seven days before a big run had significantly less muscle pain than those who had any other fruit juice. So whether you use your lunch break for a bike ride, a catch up with friends, or (often inevitably) to work, drinking cherry juice can be a preparatory recovery measure ahead of an event.
15:00 – Coffee
Middle of the afternoon, energy lull, time for a caffeine hit to ward off the drowsiness, and with 95mg per cup, coffee will certainly do the job. A 30ml cup also contains 8% of your daily niacin requirement, needed for the production of red blood cells, and 1 % of your daily potassium needs, which can help regulate blood pressure and heart function.
17:30 – Sports Drinks
Do you know; even a brief second bout of exercise can switch on the after-burners of your fat metabolism significantly? Why not commute home, or even just park your car a little further away from work so you can enjoy a brisk walk…
Sports drinks replace fluid lost through sweat and provide energy, which is burned up through muscle use, enabling you to exercise further and faster. They also contain sodium, which takes water directly into the blood when it is absorbed, helping to prevent dehydration. Once you get home, top up your fluid levels with a carb-protein recovery drink to restore energy and you’ll be ready and able to cook dinner or put the kids to bed before you know it.
20:00 – Red Wine
Containing several antioxidants, a typical glass of red wine has between 0.3 and 1.7mg of resveratrol, which researchers from the University of Queensland found can kill cancer cells and protect heart cells.
It also contains catechins, which play an important role in lessening the risk of heart disease. However, drinking too much can have the notable side-effects of dehydration, headaches and nausea the next day, so drink in moderation.
22:00 – Hot Milky Drink
Time to get some shut eye, but even after a tiring day this can be easier said than done. That’s where a warming drink such as hot chocolate or malted milk comes in – sweet enough to boost sugar levels and give a sense of well-being, warm enough to help you feel comfortable and sleepy, and lacking in stimulants such as caffeine. Plus, the amino acid tryptophan in milk can increase your body’s serotonin levels, aiding relaxation.
Photos by Karen Schermbrucker / sportzpics. This article is featured courtesy of the August 2010 edition of Ride magazine.
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