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Matthew Kadey is a nutrition journalist and dietitian who lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He has also developed several bikepacking routes, including the Great Northern Bikepacking Route. Read more from Matthew here: matthewkadey.com

You may have noticed that over the past several years the number of sports drinks marketed to bodies in motion has mushroomed. You can now power your runs, rides, and big ski days with drinks in almost every imaginable formulation and flavor. I should know because as a sports nutrition journalist, I receive a lot, and I mean a lot, of different electrolyte and sugary drinks to try out. Each boasts how it’s got the best ingredients to keep us well hydrated and powered up. When I found a pitch in my inbox for a birthday cake flavored sports drink I knew that it’s all gotten a bit out of hand.

Sometimes old-fashioned plain water is sufficient for staying adequately hydrated when on the move. But on other occasions when the exertion is harder for longer a so-called sports drink is the juice your working muscles need. The fast-working carbs in these products can help keep your blood sugar from taking a nosedive (a big player in the dreaded bonk) and their electrolytes, namely sodium, work to maintain fluid balance and muscle function when out for the long haul.

Sure, store-bought products are ultra-convenient, but you should know that if you can spare a modicum of time before hopping on the saddle you can easily craft your own effective sports drinks in the comfort of your kitchen using nothing more than a few simple ingredients. The whole process is hardly a high-flying feat or one that requires a degree in food chemistry. I do it and so can you. Not only will taking a DIY approach to your hydration save you some cash, it is also sure to appeal to people looking for an au naturel approach to fueling any big effort. Not all of us are thrilled about sucking back large amounts of maltodextrin and lab-made flavors. 

To help guide you towards sports drink bliss, below you’ll find some tasty homemade shake-and-go formulations that will help you perform like a champ. 

Each drink is designed to provide a concentration of carbohydrates (about 5 percent) that encourages better intestinal absorption to more quickly give your working muscles the energy they need all the while lessening the risk for stomach woes. Not to mention assuring that each sip is not overly sweet. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to aim for at least 60 grams of carbohydrates for each hour of physical exertion. (Pros are now sucking back upwards of 120 grams an hour.) In these drinks, there is also enough sodium to help prevent too drastic of a drop in levels when you’re working up a sweat. It’s important to remember that a sweet, slightly salty drink encourages us to drink more which can facilitate better hydration. 

Worth noting is that you can tweak each recipe to create your perfect formula. Want fewer sugary carbs and touch more sodium? Simply replace some of the fruit juice with water and add an extra pinch of salt. An option when working out in sweat-inducing hot conditions and you’re getting enough carbs from other fuel sources. If you find a drink too salty tasting then try scaling back the amount used to just 1/8 teaspoon. Go the other way with the water-juice ratio if you desire a bigger hit of carb energy and you know your gut can handle it. This can be useful when you need plenty of energy to fuel big efforts. But hold back on the idea of using nearly all fruit juice as that will greatly raise the carbohydrate concentration of the solution leading to delayed gastric emptying and an increased risk for digestive issues. This is particularly true if you have failed to train your gut to handle big blasts of carbs when working out. 

These sports drink hacks make enough to nearly fill a 25-ounce Bivo bottle, so go ahead and scale up the ingredients if you want to fill multiple bottles. The drinks can be made a few days in advance if kept chilled. You can mix up a big batch ahead of time and keep it chilled in the fridge in a juice jug or other large container. Before drinking, it can be a good idea to shake the bottle to redistribute the ingredients. 

Tropical Twister

2 cups water

1 cup pineapple juice

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/8 teaspoon + 1/16 teaspoon salt 

Place all of the ingredients in a large water bottle and shake well to combine. 

Nutrition per bottle: 136 calories, 1 g protein, 33g carbs, 0 g fat, 441mg sodium

Minty Grape

2 cups brewed mint tea, cooled

1 cup 100% grape juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon + 1/16 teaspoon salt

Place all of the ingredients in a large water bottle and shake well to combine.

Nutrition per bottle: 156 calories, 1 g protein, 39g carbs, 0 g fat; 449 mg sodium

Maple Orange

3 cups water

1/4 cup frozen pulp-free orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder 

1/8 teaspoon + 1/16 teaspoon fine sea salt

Place all of the ingredients in a water bottle and shake well to combine.

Nutrition per bottle: 149 calories, 1.5 g protein, 36g carbs, 0 g fat;  450 mg sodium

Coconut Punch

2 cups coconut water

1 cup water

1/2 cup frozen mango cubes

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Place all of the ingredients in a blender container and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a water bottle.

Nutrition per bottle: 180 calories, 1.5g protein, 45g carbs, 0 g fat;  367 mg sodium