What Is Your Solution to Hydration on a Budget?

Water - Thread closed.

Now let's say you're looking to get back some electrolytes after exercising and you've noticed the genuine improvement you feel in recovery from using something like Hydralyte, but you don't want to spend the money on it, what do you do?

I'm in the above situation. I don't really want to smash multiple liters of water the moment I get home from a workout, and the post-workout stuff you buy allegedly has things in it that overall improve recovery time. In my purely anecdotal experience, I would agree with their hypothesis, and so I prefer to use them.
The catch is that they're not as cheap as I would like. 20 servings of Hydralyte (The pharmacy option for hydration) is over $1 per serving. BCAA from Bulk Nutrients is too. Powerade (Gatorade, etc) can be closer to $2 (And unless you buy the zero-sugar variants, is not super healthy).

I have to imagine there is some alternative that is cost efficient while still giving the results one can get from those above options.

Being budget conscious, which of the available options do you use? How much does it cost? Do you actually not work out at all and thus wish I put 'Bikies' as a poll option?
Include info in the comments below!

Poll Options

  • 349
    Water
  • 5
    Sports Drink - Gatorade, Powerade, etc
  • 11
    Hydration powder - Hydralyte, pharmacy brand, etc
  • 8
    Post-Workout concoction - BCAA, Post-workout, etc

Comments

  • +5

    Snake Juice ;)

    • +1

      Name the snake and I'll give it a shot

        • -1

          Jesus I was reading that thinking "This sounds REALLY bad for you" only to get partway through and see;
          "Is the Snake Juice Diet safe?
          Registered nutritionist Rob does not think the Snake Diet is safe and told us categorically: "there is absolutely nothing good about this diet.""

          So uhh.. Thanks, but my current diet is okay, so I'll have to give the Snake Juice a miss.

          • +7

            @Sleeqb7: Nothing like short sightedness ;)

            I said the FORMULAE for a electrolyte replace drink was there … and it's cheap …

            For those that can't absorb information, the formulae is:
            2 litres of water
            2 g of Himalayan pink salt
            5 g of salt-free potassium chloride
            2 g of food-grade Epsom salts

            • +1

              @7ekn00: I came for something like this, isn't Gatorade sugar water and salt i.e. electrolyte?

              Otherwise. Water is obviously the best way to hydrate. Just like oxygen is the best way to oxygenate.

          • +2

            @Sleeqb7: you don't have to follow the diet.

            fasting has been a part of human life for thousands of years, and while extended fasting can be unsafe if you don't know what you're doing, intermittent fasting is not dangerous, unless you have a pre-existing medical condition that conflicts with it.

            "snake juice" is basically just essential electrolytes, which are important if you are fasting for weightloss, as it can be the difference between you giving up because you feel awful (first 3 ~ days of a fast are generally the worst) or continuing on. it would be suited to your purpose of hydration.

            i would take what "registered nutritionist Rob" says with a grain of salt, a lot of people are against this diet simply because they are set in their ways, not because they know what they're talking about.

            try making some snake juice, don't follow the diet, and just drink it after workouts in place of water. you probably won't like the taste, but you can always add something to cut through it if you wanted to, the reason snake juice is so bereft of ingredients is because most people drinking it are trying to lose weight and adding anything else could interrupt their fast

            • +1

              @[Deactivated]:

              Registered nutritionist

              "Registered" with which sales group. Dieticians are qualified, 'nutritionist' is as 'credentialed' as 'personal coach' or 'homeopath'.

              It's a recipe for a "Sal vital" type electrolyte.

    • +4

      Donna - Someone needs to be alert tonight. This Snake Juice is basically rat poison. Everybody's wasted!

      • +1

        Yes, because electrolytes (salts) are poison … great emotional logic there :/

    • I wan dring snakblud?!

    • +2

      Snake..? Snake?! Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • +8

    Meth….

    • +4

      Seems counter productive, but I'll try anything once.

      • +7

        Therein lies the problem. Rarely do people try meth once.

        From the "my name is meth" poem

        My power is awesome, try me you'll see,
        But if you do, you may never break free.
        Just try me once and I might let you go,
        But try me twice, and I'll own your soul.

        If you try me be warned - this is no game,
        If given the chance, I'll drive you insane.
        I'l ravish your body, I'll control your mind
        I'll own you completely, your soul will be mine.

        • +26

          Not sure if poem about meth or my wife… hard to tell.

        • +1

          whatever you do don't smoke it, it goes straight to your head and is super habit forming.

  • +1

    Milk

    • +3

      Tried that, made belly hurt :(

      • +2

        Doesn't work for me either.

        Water and a bite of food is all I can cope with for a while after running.
        I don't really think you NEED anything more. Electrolyte loss isn't really a problem with an hour's exercise. It's more of a sweating all day issue.

      • Have you tried lactose free milk?

        • +1

          I just want milk that tastes like real milk.

          • -1

            @Kangal: In Tassie Ashgroves is like that. Can get it on tap

  • +22

    I avoid this added expense by not working out.

    • +6

      I tried that for many years, unfortunately I feel much better when I'm regularly exercising.

    • +1

      I workout and still do not drink water 😂

      • +22

        Username does not check out.

        • +3

          Walked right into that one.

  • +11

    r/hydrohomies unite

    • +3

      Damn, you beat me to this… that's such a weird and wholesome subreddit.

  • +5

    Unless you are exercising and profusely sweating for really long periods, is it really that necessary to have anything other than water?

    • Necessary? Probably not.
      But in days following a workout I feel better sooner when I do use these these things. I'm spending an hour(ish) with an average heartrate of 150bpm and putting quite a lot of strain on my legs (Brisbane cycling involves hills, and I'm a big fella). It's just as much about muscle recovery as it is hydration, but it's also nice not having to ingest as much liquid when I get home.

      • Maybe a water sack backpack so you can drink during?

        You could also just use some lollies if you needs some carbs, depending on what your goals are.

        • I do have a sippy backpack, yeah. I do drink during but probably not enough.

      • +4

        If you are exercising so excessively that it takes you longer to recover without it then you aren't drinking enough DURING exercise.,

        • -2

          This!

        • Likely, yes. However don't these hydration drinks also include other things that the body loses in sweat that water alone doesn't provide?
          For example if I go on a 15km hike (Albeit not something I've done for a few years) with 3L of water, and another one with 3L of water 500ml of which having hydration powder mixed in, I feel better with the latter.

          Porque no los dos?

          • @Sleeqb7: no, you lose a tiny amount of salts, urea, protein, nothing in the volume that would make significant difference to your recovery unless you already have serious health issues.

          • +1

            @Sleeqb7: It's probably just the sugar making you feel more energized

    • +15

      It's not. It's one of the great marketing scams that gatorade and the likes make you think that you go for a 30 minute run and you "need electrolytes and sugar".

  • +3

    1 cup of my own urine each morning

    • +5

      OK, but I'm not sure if OP will accept your kind offer.

    • Username checks out.

      Fergy

      • +1

        Thats the difference between a Fergy and Fergie - the Y's drink it

    • Eww, no thanks, i'll just drink my own instead.

    • ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  • +1

    If you don't just want water, we use sqwinchers while fire-fighting

    https://www.sqwincher.com/

    Have tried thortz but not a fan

    • +1

      If they are complaining that Hydralyte was expensive, they might need to see a bank manager to mortgage their house to buy Sqwinchers…

      I went to our supplier (Blackwoods) to get some for the guys in the workshop over summer and, while I have a pretty big cap on what I am allowed to spend at work before I have to speak to the accounts team, there was no way they were letting me get these.

    • Hmm, Squincher seems to basically be the same price as Hydralyte, but Thortz (And Prayerz?) is finally under that $1 per serving rate.

    • Agreed on Thorzt. Terrible tasting fake chemically flavours. Sqwinchers are the better of the two.

  • +5

    drink own sweats

    recycling to the max

  • +9

    electrolytes, its what plants crave

  • +3

    Either buy in bulk the powered sports drink or make your own.
    You can do about one quarter juice, 3/4 water, with some salt in it. I'm sure there are better recipes out there as well.

  • +10

    Water - Thread closed.

    Really if you don't want to spend money then what else do you want? If you "don't really want to smash multiple liters of water the moment I get home from a workout" (BTW you should be drinking during the session) then the odds are you're probably not working out hard enough to need any supplements anyway. When I was seriously training I'd go through a litre of water during an hour session and still NEED a couple of litres afterwards. The vast majority of people consuming supplements don't actually need them. If you did your dietician would've already sorted it all out on your plan.

    • +2

      I want to spend less money. Hence being on OzBargin not OzAthlete.

      As mentioned above, I agree that I probably don't need them, but I have less muscle pain the following day when I use them. I do indeed drink during the workout, but I too need to drink a lot when I get home so that I'm not feeling dehydrated.
      I'm not a pro athlete, I'm a large dude trying to get into shape, so removing the barrier of being in pain the following day is a big part of allowing me to keep motivated.

      • +6

        Honestly man if you're as gungho about exercise as you seem to be then what's the harm in splurging on a hobby you enjoy? As far as expensive 'vices' go $1-$2 for an energy drink after each workout is still on the cheap side. I say treat yourself.

        Edit to add: Also treating yourself is awesome for keeping yourself motivated, so I double say treat yourself.

        • +3

          Good point. I basically see it as "part of the exercise" as opposed to a treat, so if I reframe it it's more justifiable.

      • +3

        DOMS is completely normal when you're starting out, it'll pass in a few weeks. No supplement is going to prevent it.

  • +4

    well the budget way would be drink water from local park, cause water at home cost money!

    • +7

      From the tap next to the BBQ, where you are cooking your evening meal and boiling your kettle.

  • +2

    Water is the answer.

    But realistically if you think those Hydralyte packets help and they are $1 per serve, why not just get them.

    Unless your working out multiple times per day 7 days a week $1 per workout is cheap.

    • +1

      Well ultimately it seems like such a simple concept that I just assume someone is a good recipe for a few cents a serve.
      Porridge is a good example of cheap, but buying one's own oats/etc is cheaper by a decent margin.

      • +1

        See outlanders option below!

      • How about rice water then? Surely its better than water.

  • Lettuce?

  • BCAA’s during and after and protein post

  • +3

    Can't you add a tiny bit of salt to water? That is replacing some electrolytes

    • Absolutely it would. There are other water additives that can improve results and flavour, so I'm really just fielding all options to see what people use, if anything.

    • Agreed! Thread closed!!!!

  • +2

    Voost is currently half price at Woolies.

    https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/86477/voos…

    • ^

    • The Aldi equivalent electrolyte is always about that price.

  • +8

    I've been down this road. I make my own. Recipe as follows

    To make 1L:
    0.1g of Potassium Citrate
    0.1g of Sodium Chloride
    0.2g of Potassium Chloride
    0.2g of Calcium Phosphate
    ~25g of cordial
    5-10g of Glucose powder, to taste (not really needed)
    Filtered water for the rest

    It's essentially what gatorade is, but watered down. All that really matters is the mix of sodium and potassium salts. In a pinch, I'll use health salt to make it, but you can find potassium chloride much cheaper if you buy it in pure form. Altogether, it ends up being a few cents per bottle vs $2.50 for gatorade.

  • +9

    What Is Your Solution to Hydration on a Budget?

    I use the tap at the local park across the street and fill up 9L buckets to bring home.

    • +4

      Why you wait for your snags to cook on the BBQ?

      • +1

        Probably while they wait for their slow cooker to cook

  • +2

    This is why Australia has the worlds most expensive pee!

    You may be an elite athlete but if you're just keeping fit then water works as well as anythying else.

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sports-drinks#:~:text=O…

    Coffee before training
    Water during Training

    Improve recovery time by:
    Not overtraining the same body part/splitting training days
    warm up/warm down and stretching properly
    sleeping lots
    Not pumping your body full of weird electrolytes you don't need that will empty your wallet

  • Has anyone found a sugar free cordial close to the taste of yellow or blue powerade/gatorade?

  • Woolies have musashi protein drinks for 2.70 every 3 weeks
    Atkins ones are often as low as 2.40, but have sunflower oil and random junk in them.

  • +9

    Brawndo. It's got electrolytes. It's what plants crave. - Thread closed.

    • +2

      Brawndo

      I had a friend bring some over from the US earlier this week.

      It is really good…

  • +3

    The Powerade / knock off sell whole tubs of the powder. Add the scoop of that to water and you have many litres of hydration (per tub)

  • +2

    VB…vitamin beer

  • Don't Coles and Aldi have their own brand version of those effervescent hydralytes?

  • Hydralyte is $22 for 40 tablets at colesworths

    $0.55 per serve

    • Each serving is 2 tablets :)

      • Try 1 tablet after a workout for a few days and see if you feel as refreshed as you do with 2 tablets.

    • +1

      60 tabs voost hydrate $19.99 @CW
      20 tabs voost hydrate $5.50 @WW (on sale)
      20 tabs voost hydrate $4.95 @CW (price beat WW)

  • +3

    hydralyte tub is best value $40ish for 150 servings
    or 900g tub does 30 liters!

    Sodium chloride tablets are pretty cheap too

    Make sure you take them well before and if youre
    still sweating youre ass off after 3 hours you may
    need to drink another (read label)

    If you dont use it enough to justify a tub the aldi tablets
    might be the next cheapest or when chemist warehouse
    has the 3x 20 pack on sale for $19.99

    • +1
      • 1 for the Aldi tablets, I wish I lived close to an Aldi ….
    • voost hydrate is always $19.99 for 60

  • +2

    High 5 electrolyte tablets, 20 in a tube…buy in bulk…. Wiggle.
    Water is ok, but doesn’t contain the minerals you lose from sweating.
    Salt tablets, magnesium powder for cramps. Or eat a banana, fruit.

  • +3

    I have a chronic health condition where dehydration happens very quickly. I used coconut water for a time. Has all the benefits of the energy drinks. Now it is expensive and quality varies.

    There was some research suggesting a glass of milk post-workout was quite effective, but I don't see how it would help hydration.

    My doctor told me to drink a homemade mixture to replenish electrolytes and hydrate. I am just unsure of the salt quantity as it was years ago.

    1 litre water
    1 tbspn Glucodin Pure glucose Energy Powder (available at supermarkets and chemists)
    1 tbspn salt (? That much).

    I had a problem with low sodium in my blood, so I think my salt amount may have been increased to cover this issue. The glucose and salt work best together. On their own, they are less effective. You could then flavour this drink with other powders to your taste.

    When I was nursing we had an IV solution we called 4% and 1/5 - literally 1 litre water, 4% glucose and 18% saline. This is the concentration in your body. So this is what the homemade solution is trying to replicate.

  • +1

    Add some good quality salt to your water for the minerals and water retention

  • +2
    • Poll suggestion Voost Hydrate & Electrolyte Tablets

    I use Voost

    They regularly go on sale at Woolies and are approx 25c per dose when on sale

    Sometimes on a better sale (less common) - 16.25 c per dose (What I paid last week)

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