If you turn on the television during any sort of sporting event, you are likely to see advertising for sports drinks. Watching these ads, you see athletes that are amazingly fit guzzling enormous bottles of these beverages.

However, the typical person does not exercise at the pace or for the duration necessitating the consumption of sports drinks. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Water is generally the best way to replace lost fluid, unless you’re exercising for more than 60 minutes.”

Current recommendations for exercise are three to five 30-minute cardio workouts per week with a handful of strength-training exercises added a couple times each week. Even on days that one combines strength-training and cardio, the total workout time would be less than 60 minutes. Therefore, water should be the only drink one would need.

If the Mayo’s recommendation isn’t enough to convince you to trade your sports drink for water, consider this: The average sports drink has anywhere between 200 and 300 calories in a 32-ounce bottle. Water, no matter the serving size, has zero calories.

So, as you prepare for today’s workout, bypass the sports drink, and grab a glass of water.

To read the Mayo Clinic’s report on exercise, eating, and hydrating, click here.