Originally Posted by mpop
... So my main question is, it ok to go with just pure water, or is my friend right, and do I need to force myself to drink the gatorade?
Just my opinion so...
Gatorade has ingredients that replenishes what your body loses during exercise. This is typically in the form of sweat. Ever see a gatorade ad claim it provides fuel for your muscles. Always shows someone sweating profusely! Thru sweat, you lose mainly fluid, potassium, sodium. Since your whole body functions on chemical processes, a loss of chemicals causes things to start not working correctly or possibly shut down (in extreme cases). So you need to put these chemicals back in before things go south. Water will only fix the loss of fluids. Water will do nothing for your chemicals. As was said before, look at the ingredients in Gatorade: water, Potassium and Sodium, a tad bit of carbs in the form of sugar.
To answer your question (indirectly) ... you need to give your body what it needs. That is 1) fluids 2) chemicals, 3) fuel
If you are NOT sweating, then you're not losing fluids or chemicals (at least not a huge amount in the form of sweat) so water might be OK up to a point. However, don't forget your poor muscles ... they need fuel. Water does not provide fuel ... and gatorade only provides a tad more.
If you are sweating then you ARE going to need get those chemicals back in and water (by itself) just won't do that.
I drink gatorade but only the powdered mix. I used to buy the pre-made bottles of gatorade but didn't like it for two reasons: 1) expensive and 2) hate the slimy film it left in my mouth. I started buying the cans of powder and mixing my own. I can make it a lot weaker than the bottled mix and it doesn't leave the slimy film in my mouth.
good luck,
d.tipton