From lemon-lime to orange, here’s a straightforward recipe for crafting your homemade sports drink. While filtered water is generally excellent for our health and can suffice for most workouts, there are instances when a homemade sports drink can effectively replenish not just lost fluids but also essential electrolytes after strenuous exercise.

Plain water alone doesn’t contain all the vital electrolytes lost during intense workouts or profuse sweating. However, resorting to neon-colored, athlete-endorsed, commercial sports drinks isn’t necessarily the best solution. The good news is that there are numerous do-it-yourself (DIY) versions of homemade sports drinks, offering even more compelling reasons to make your own.

How to Craft Your Homemade Sports Drink

When you examine the ingredients of store-bought sports drinks, you’ll often find sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and vegetable oils. Anything fluorescent-colored doesn’t seem very “natural.” The encouraging news is that the fundamental components of any sports drink are straightforward, making homemade versions equally beneficial, if not more so. The flavor possibilities are endless, but the basic recipe for a homemade sports drink remains consistent. The key ingredients include:

• Water: Filtered water serves as the foundation for any homemade sports drink. Alternatively, you can use coconut water, a natural source of electrolytes and natural sugars.
• Salt: Opt for unrefined sea salt like Celtic Sea salt or Redmond Real Salt, rich in trace minerals and electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Adding unrefined sea salt enhances water absorption, ensuring it reaches the cells and keeps you hydrated efficiently.
• Fruit: Incorporating freshly pressed citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, or limes is the simplest way to infuse flavor, simple sugars, and additional electrolytes such as potassium into your homemade sports drink.
• Raw Honey: While optional, raw honey provides a rapid source of energy in the form of glucose, easily digested and absorbed by the body. When used, make sure to opt for raw honey, as it is unrefined and may offer additional trace minerals.

Here are two fundamental recipes you can effortlessly prepare at home.

Homemade Sports Drink

For homemade sports drinks, it’s best to use fresh fruit or freshly pressed juices to minimize refined or processed sugars.

Ingredients

Lemon-Lime:

• 2 cups filtered water
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (Celtic or Real Salt)
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)

Orange:

• 2 cups water
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (Celtic or Real Salt)
• 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a glass or jar until the salt is dissolved.
• Serve chilled and savor!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 26 calories
• Sugar: 4 grams
• Sodium: 104.5mg
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 8 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Protein: 0 grams