Is it ok to mix water and Gatorade? (Page 2)

Yes, you're right:

"The problem with diluting your sports drink is it makes them less effective at repentishing your lost electrolytes... google Hyponatremia.  If sweetness is an issue, switch to Nuun.  Its like water with a lemon twist... lots of electrolytes.  On a hot day water alone in an Oly will lead to cramping.. diluted sports drinks aren't sufficient either."

An olympic distance race isn't long enough to develop hyponatremia from drinking water instead of an electrolyte replacement drink on the bike.  Also, there still has not been a single scientific study to make a direct link between electrolytes and cramping.  Even though anecdotal evidence seems to imply that it can contribute to cramping, no study has been able to establish a link as direct as "only drinking water during an Oly will lead to cramping."  Many people train and race with only water or watered-down electrolyte drink for hydration.

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They probably meant to say " Don't mix oil with your Gatorade" That would be bad

Ewwww.

Really?? Not even one single study...

Here's one

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/Fulltext/2008/07001/Muscle_Cramps_during_Exercise_Is_It_Fatigue_or.9.aspx

I didn't say they were better/worse. I merely commented that they take longer to be absorbed.

John

This article is a review not a study. I would love to see a study also, but have also not been able to find a valid one. Quote from the conclusion:

"Definitive studies on the precise mechanisms underlying fatigue-related alterations in muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ afferent activity and investigations to confirm the contributory presence of a whole-body exchangeable sodium deficit, contracted interstitial fluid compartment, and hypersensitive neuromuscular junctions with sweat-induced muscle cramping during exercise have not yet been performed."

A doctor told me not to worry about it because the penis retract and warm up the fluids. No, that's not a joke. A doctor really told me that.

Apparently since there is NO credible evidence  that correlates electolyte concentration and muscle cramps I propose an experiment.  To all the non-believers that think electrolytes don't affect performance...Go to your next event and drink ONLY water.  Let me know how it goes. 

My one and only marathon was done on water only.  No cramping. 

But what did you eat on the course?

Nada. 

Oh, and to the Op, I often do mix Gatorade with water on my bike.

because you were able to do it doesnt mean you performed at your best or couldnt have performed better. Ive been told its better to cut gatorade anyway  because the concentration is too high to be absorbed quicky, an 8% solution is supposed to be ideal and gatorade is like 12%.

good study on fluid intake and carb intake, for those of you who dont wnat to read at the end there is a summary with the finders stressed points.

http://epc.edb.utexas.edu/coyle/review%20arts/11%20PR%29.Benefits%20fluid%20replacement.pdf

No one said that electrolyte consumption does not affect performance.  They are absolutely essential to the proper functioning of our bodies.  I said there is no scientific evidence that they will prevent cramps.  There has never been an independent study that proved a direct connection between their consumption (or lack of) and muscle cramping.  Plenty of marketers claim to have evidence that their product prevents cramping, but no independent study that I have seen has been able to corroborate their claims.  If you have seen one, I would be very interested in reading it.  I'm not being snarky about either.  I seriously would be interested in seeing it.

BTW, many people race sprint and oly distance only using water for hydration.

Back to the OP, as others have said, mixing water and Gatorade is fine.  Many people do it, because it can be easier for some people to digest if it's watered down.

Yes...

Unless you pour it on your head instead on water.....then no....it's not ok

Hmm...There really is a lot of bad info on this thread.  "

First of all, there's not a "light" version of G2 - ALL G2 is low-cal compared to Gatorade when you look at an 8oz serving.  I'm holding in my hand right now a packet of G2 powder - it has 25 cal per 8oz serving, and each packet can make 16oz.  Also...there's NO high fructose corn syrup in G2 powder - #1 ingredient is sucrose.  Dextrose is just another name for glucose.  Glucose is a monosaccharide, while sucrose is a disaccharide made up of 1 glucose molecule and 1 fructose molecule.  

The Garmin team uses slushies because of the study released a year or two ago that talks about performance in relation to core body temp.  I don't really want to go find the actual study, but it basically said that people who drank an ice/slushy drink and then ran on a treadmill in a really hot room at max effort were able to run 10 minutes longer than those who just drank a cold drink, or something like that.  This is also the reason you can perform better in early morning races - because your core body temp is lower right after you wake up.  

Hyponatremia is very very serious and every year there's a few endurance  athletes who die from drinking too much pure water without replenishing electrolytes.  In fact, here in Des Moines where I live there's an ongoing lawsuit against a radio station who held contest couple years ago called, "Hold you wee for Wii" where they basically got all these people to drink tons of water and whoever could go the longest without peeing won a Nintendo Wii (this was back when they were impossible to find in stores).  So anyway, the lady who won the contest died later that day from hyponatremia.  Very sad.  

Personally, even if I COULD run a marathon drinking only water, I wouldn't.  

By the way, does everyone know what "electrolytes" are?  They're just the ions your body needs - Na+ (sodium), Cl- (chloride), K+ (potassium), Ca++ (calcium), Mg++ (Magnesium), HPO4- (phosphate) and HCO3- (carbonate).  The most important is sodium.  If you're ever seen the movie "Idiocracy" then you all know you should go drink Brawndo because it's got what plants crave! brawndo.com  

DerekL can be funny!!

I do it all the time.