What Drinks Should You Avoid When Exercising? The Ultimate Hydration Guide

October 19, 2025 •

3 min read

According to fitness experts, consuming just 2% of fluid loss relative to body mass can significantly decrease athletic performance and lead to fatigue. To maximize your workout benefits, it is crucial to understand what drinks you should avoid when exercising.

Quick Summary

This guide outlines why sugary sodas, energy drinks, alcohol, and certain caffeinated beverages can hinder workout performance and recovery. It details smarter hydration choices and timing.

Key Points

Avoid Sugary Drinks: Sodas, energy drinks, and high-sugar juices cause energy crashes and offer empty calories that are detrimental to your workout goals.
Limit Caffeine: Excessive caffeine from energy drinks can lead to dehydration and jitters. Stick to a moderate intake from coffee if you tolerate it well, ideally 45-60 minutes pre-workout.
Steer Clear of Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic that negatively impacts hydration and muscle recovery. It is best avoided entirely around exercise.
Watch Carbonation: Fizzy drinks can cause bloating and discomfort during exercise, so it's best to avoid them for a more comfortable workout.
Choose Water First: For most workouts under an hour, plain water is the best choice for hydration, replenishing fluids without extra sugar.
Strategize Dairy Intake: High-fat dairy products can slow digestion if consumed before a workout. Save milk and other dairy for post-workout recovery.
Prioritize Recovery Drinks: After intense exercise, consider natural options like milk, coconut water, or homemade electrolyte drinks to replenish carbs, protein, and electrolytes.

The Hidden Dangers of Sugary and Carbonated Drinks

Many popular beverages can sabotage your fitness goals due to their high sugar content and carbonation. While a sugar rush may feel like a quick energy boost, it is often followed by a crash that leaves you feeling more tired than before. Carbonated drinks can also cause discomfort.

Sugary Sodas and Fruit Juices

Carbonated soft drinks and many fruit juices are laden with refined sugars or high-fructose corn syrup, offering little to no nutritional value beyond empty calories. This can lead to rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar, undermining your performance.

The Bloat and Discomfort from Carbonation

Carbonated beverages like soda and seltzer can cause bloating and abdominal pain during exercise. The carbon dioxide bubbles can fill your stomach with gas, making physical activity uncomfortable and hindering your ability to breathe deeply and perform optimally.

The Problem with Excessive Caffeine and Energy Drinks

While moderate caffeine intake, such as from a cup of black coffee, can enhance performance, many energy drinks contain excessive amounts of caffeine along with large doses of sugar. This can be a recipe for disaster during a workout.

Risks of High-Dose Caffeine

Excessive caffeine intake can act as a diuretic, increasing urine production and leading to dehydration. It can also cause jitters, anxiety, and an increased heart rate, which can negatively impact focus and performance.

The Hindrance of Alcohol

Drinking alcohol before or after a workout is detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic, actively dehydrating your body by increasing urination. Dehydration impairs temperature control and increases the risk of muscle cramps. Furthermore, alcohol interferes with muscle protein synthesis, a key process for muscle repair and growth after exercise.

Effects of Alcohol on Performance and Recovery

Dehydration: Counteracts the body's need for fluids.
Impaired Recovery: Reduces the body's ability to repair and build muscle tissue.
Poor Judgment: Negatively impacts balance and decision-making, increasing injury risk.

The Misconception of Some Dairy Products (Pre-Workout)

Milk and other dairy products are often praised for their post-workout benefits due to their combination of protein and carbs. However, consuming high-fat dairy before exercise can be problematic. The high fat content slows digestion, potentially causing bloating, cramping, and lethargy during your workout.

Comparison of Workout Drinks


Drink Category	To Avoid When Exercising	Better Alternatives (Context-Dependent)
Sugary & Carbonated	Sodas, sugary fruit juices, sports drinks with high sugar	Water, infused water, unsweetened coconut water
High-Caffeine	Most energy drinks	Small, controlled dose of coffee pre-workout; water
Alcoholic	All types of alcohol, including beer and wine	Water for hydration; chocolate milk for post-workout recovery
High-Fat Dairy	Whole milk, creamy shakes (pre-workout)	Skim or low-fat milk (post-workout), almond or oat milk

Making Smarter Hydration Choices

For most moderate workouts lasting less than an hour, plain water is the best and most effective choice for hydration. It replenishes lost fluids without adding unnecessary sugar or calories. For longer, more intense workouts (over an hour) or in hot, humid conditions, a low-sugar electrolyte drink or coconut water can help replace lost minerals like sodium and potassium.

For post-workout recovery, drinks that contain a combination of carbohydrates and protein are ideal for repairing muscle damage and replenishing glycogen stores. Options like chocolate milk are excellent for this purpose.

Conclusion

Making informed choices about what you drink before, during, and after exercise is just as important as the workout itself. By avoiding sugary, carbonated, and alcoholic beverages, you can prevent performance hindrances like energy crashes, dehydration, and cramping. For most fitness enthusiasts, water is sufficient for hydration, while specific recovery drinks like chocolate milk can be beneficial post-workout. Ultimately, listening to your body and prioritizing nutrient-rich hydration will lead to more effective training and better overall health. For further information on proper hydration techniques during exercise, consult resources like the Better Health Channel, which offers comprehensive guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

For light to moderate exercise lasting less than an hour, water is typically the best option. Sports drinks are usually only necessary for high-intensity or endurance training to replenish electrolytes and carbs lost through significant sweating.

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes fluid loss and dehydration. It also disrupts muscle protein synthesis, hindering muscle repair and growth after exercise. This impairs both performance and recovery.

While both contain caffeine, energy drinks are often loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients that can cause energy crashes and digestive issues. Black coffee offers a moderate caffeine dose without these additives.

Many store-bought fruit juices are high in added sugar, which can cause an energy crash. For recovery, it's better to consume whole fruits or a natural drink like coconut water, which provides nutrients and electrolytes without excess sugar.

The carbonation in fizzy drinks can cause bloating, gas, and discomfort during exercise, making it harder to move and breathe effectively. The high sugar content in many sodas is also a major drawback.

While a post-workout milk-based shake is beneficial, a shake with whole milk before exercise can slow digestion due to its fat content, potentially causing stomach upset and lethargy. For pre-workout, a lighter option might be better.

For a homemade electrolyte drink, you can mix water with a pinch of salt and a splash of citrus juice (like lemon or orange). Coconut water is another excellent natural source of electrolytes.