Top Recommendation: REIZE Energy!
Whether you’re an everyday jogger or a once-a-week jogger, it’s good to keep fit.
Most times, avid joggers would have a diet regimen in place when they jog, while others just enjoy the jog.
If you’re someone who’s looking to take jogging to the next level, you may be wondering if energy drinks can fit in with your jogging routine. Well, yes, absolutely they can!
Not only do energy drinks fit right in with your jogging routine, but they can also be outstandingly beneficial for you.
Let’s dive into the details…
Factors to Consider When Choosing Energy Drinks for Jogging
Caffeine
Caffeine not only keeps you awake and stimulates your brain function, but it also greatly benefits your physical performance.
As energy drinks contain caffeine, they energise you by providing the stamina needed to complete your jogging regimen.
This, however, doesn’t mean that you should load up on caffeine before a jog. Read on as I’ll be discussing more on the relationship between caffeine and jogging.
Sugar
Sugar is also the main component of energy drinks, which provides the necessary surge of energy.
Athletes who consume sugar have found improvements in their performance and recovery.
On the other hand, overconsumption of sugar comes with health risks as well. Research suggests that some of the prominent health risks are as follows:
- obesity
- metabolic dysregulation
- type 2 diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- cancer
If you’re a jogger, I would assume that you are leading a generally healthy lifestyle. Even then, it doesn’t mean that you’re immune to the dangers of sugar.
You’re still at risk of obesity and heart disease among others.
Other Ingredients
Energy drinks also contain other ingredients such as B vitamins, taurine, and BCAAs. The amount is dependent on the manufacturer and on which extra ingredients they wish to include.
Taurine actually helps with physical performance and is commonly found in many energy drinks.
BCAAs, on the other hand, are more uncommon as they’re catered towards muscle-building, helping with relieving muscle soreness and fatigue.
These are some extra ingredients you might want to be on the lookout for when choosing an energy drink for your jog.
Price
Generally speaking, most energy drinks are made of the same sorts of ingredients. Therefore, it would make sense for the pricing to be about the same.
So why pay more just for a particular brand and its marketing ploy?
As long as the particular energy drink has just the right amount of caffeine, vitamin, and sugar content for my liking, and is affordable, that’s going to be my go-to choice!
Why pay more than you need to?
If you’re looking at buying your favourite energy drink online, I have written a short guide for you in this article.
Is caffeine beneficial for a jog?
Yes, caffeine is definitely beneficial for a jog.
The combination of caffeine and carbohydrates has been shown to provide a 2% improvement in jogging performance and sprint times.
Caffeine can also increase the concentration of endorphins in your brain which can induce a phenomenon called “runner’s high” which could potentially be beneficial for your jog.
Hence, it’s a good idea to have a moderate amount of caffeine and some light carbs before you go for a jog.
However, be mindful not to go overboard with your caffeine intake.
It’s also wise not to consume a huge dosage of caffeine because of the side effects that you might experience such as jitters, palpitations, and headaches.
The US FDA recommends that healthy adults should consume no more than 400mg of caffeine per day to avoid the adverse effects.
Is sugar beneficial for a jog?
Sugar actually fuels your jog by giving you the energy to run and also improving your performance.
Even so, don’t get too excited here ’cause unhealthy sugary items like cookies and cakes are bad for you.
Sugar is unhealthy in general, so I don’t see the reason to consume added sugar be it for a jog or not.
Can energy drinks help me jog better?
Yes, energy drinks can help you jog better.
The caffeine in energy drinks helps with your mental alertness, improves your mood, and boosts your endurance.
This is good news especially if you’re jogging after work when you’ll probably be exhausted. Energy drinks can lift that, and enable you to better enjoy your jog!
Do energy drinks help with running?
Absolutely! Energy drinks can help with running.
The ingredients in energy drinks, like caffeine, sugar, and taurine work together to aid your physical performance and increase your endurance and stamina.
The study I mentioned earlier in this article showed that the combination of caffeine and carbohydrates provided a 2% boost in jogging, running, and sprinting performance versus a placebo.
That’s pretty significant.
Energy drinks can enable you to run longer distances with less effort and also boost your mental capacity to run all the way to the finish line.
I’ve also previously written a post on energy drinks and half marathons so you can check that out if you’re interested too.
Do energy drinks improve athletic performance?
At this point, you might’ve already been able to guess the answer to this, but YES, energy drinks can improve athletic performance!
In fact, Olympic athletes take caffeine to naturally enhance their performance as it’s a legal performing-enhancing product.
Of course, jogging isn’t an Olympic sports event, but you get the gist that if athletes rely on caffeine, energy drinks can definitely be beneficial for your athletic performance too.
Do energy drinks build up running stamina?
If you’re someone who’s having trouble with endurance, you’ll be glad to know that energy drinks can help in building up stamina for your jog!
This is primarily due to the caffeine content that has been proven to be beneficial for physical activities including your stamina when you go for a jog.
If you would like to read more on energy drinks and cardio, you can check my previous post.
Can I drink Red Bull for a jog?
Yes, you can drink Red Bull for a jog.
Research suggests that Red Bull Energy improves running performance by reducing the time taken for the participants to complete a 5km run.
Red Bull has 80mg of caffeine, a moderate amount that I personally think is just right to energise you before a jog.
However, it also does contain 27g of sugar and 110 calories, and yes, you may burn it off with the jog, but why put it on in the first place?
Hence, I would prefer the sugar and calorie-free version: Red Bull Total Zero.
Is it OK to drink energy drinks for my daily jogs?
Yes, it’s okay to drink energy drinks for your daily jogs.
Even so, it’s important to choose your energy drinks wisely. For starters, choose ones that have a moderate caffeine amount with little to no sugar and calories.
I’ve also previously covered energy drinks for daily consumption, check it for my top recommendations.
What should I drink for a jog?
Before
Grabbing an energy drink 45 minutes before a jog is actually beneficial for you.
By allowing your body to fully absorb the caffeine, you’ll be able to reap the full benefits of it when you start jogging.
During
As energy drinks are not designed to keep you hydrated, you might want to stay away from them while jogging.
Water is actually the best beverage to drink to rehydrate on the go. It’s also easy to carry a lightweight water bottle as you jog.
Alternatively, you could try a sports drink or something with electrolytes in it.
After
After your jog, you would’ve lost a lot of body fluids due to sweating. This means it’s best to rehydrate well after your jog.
I usually choose water, but sports drinks could also work for you as they often contain electrolytes that help you rehydrate.
Once you’re well-rehydrated, you could also grab an energy drink for an extra boost.
Best Energy Drinks for a Jog
| Energy Drink | Caffeine (mg) | Sugar (g) | Calories |
| Bang | 300 | 0 | calorie-free |
| Rockstar | 160 | 31 | 90 |
| Advocare Spark | 120 | 0 | 15 |
| REIZE | 50 | 0 | 11 |
Bang Energy Drink
Bang Energy Drink is among the strongest energy drinks on the market infused with 300mg of caffeine.
Other than being sugar and calorie-free, it also claims to contain BCAAs (something that you might be interested in if you want to build some muscles too).
I personally don’t favour such a high amount of caffeine before a run, but if your caffeine tolerance is higher, this might work well for you.
Rockstar Energy Drink
If the amount of caffeine in Bang scared you away, come back! Rockstar Energy has a lower caffeine content of 160mg.
However, it does contain 31g of sugar and 190 calories.
OMG!
I know, you’ll probably burn it all off, but still, 31g of sugar is just too unhealthy in my opinion.
Advocare Spark Energy Drink
Advocare Spark has 120mg of caffeine, a moderate amount I must say, with zero sugar and 15 calories, which is great!
I kinda like this one despite the unappealing packaging, but let’s not penalise Advocare for that (probably needed a spark of creativity too).
As it’s also a powdered form of energy drink, it’s easy to carry around, which is convenient especially if you are planning to consume your energy drink after your jog.
REIZE Energy Drink (10 out of 10)
My favourite energy drink, REIZE, has a lower amount of caffeine, with 50mg per serving. It’s also sugar-free and has just 11 calories, which means I don’t need to worry about an impending sugar or caffeine crash.
REIZE Energy Drink is also a powder energy drink and comes in a sachet making it super-convenient to carry around and make fresh anytime you want a boost.
The smart combination of caffeine, taurine, ginseng, and B group vitamins works together to give you a perfect energy boost.
Besides that, REIZE ships right to your door for only around $1 per drink (including shipping). That’s amazing value for money!
Give REIZE a try today and you might just find that to be your perfect jogging partner!