Are sports drinks the best way to rehydrate?

“I would not say that most commercial sports drinks are the most efficient way of rehydrating following a workout,” says Sean Kuechenmeister, Certified Athletic Trainer at the New York Sports Science Lab. But straight water won’t properly replenish the liquids you’ve sweated away either, he says. You also need trace minerals that act as electrolytes to boost nerve conduction, brain function, and muscular contraction. Keuchenmeister recommends adding a dab of Himalayan sea salt to your water. It adds 60 trace minerals found in natural sweat … as opposed to the four or five electrolytes found in sports drinks.