The purpose of this experiment was to identify which fluid, water or Gatorade G3, would promote the best rehydration after a bout of moderate exercise. Participants (n=6; four male and two female) were subjected to initial testing of urine specific gravity (USG), urine color (Ucol), Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to measure body water content (L), and weight (lb.). Subjects then completed a trial of moderate treadmill running to promote up to 2% loss of body weight. The subjects then consumed 150% of body weight loss (in mL) to promote rehydration in a rapid timeframe (one hour). After consuming the fluid, the same tests were done to record any changes in USG, Ucol, BIA or weight. This test was repeated once more using the alternate fluid from the first trial. Using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, results showed significant (p<.05) results in pre and post measurement of USG only. The pre test data (M=1.0148±.00857) showed slightly higher USG than the post test data (M=1.008±.00680). The results of this study show that consuming either fluid will help decrease USG, resulting in better hydration. These results also suggest that although Gatorade markets better rehydration than water alone, there is no significant difference in any area tested other than USG. Furthermore, there is no significant difference between water or Gatorade, simply between pre and post test measures. This reiterates that consuming either fluid after exercise helps promote rehydration.
