A few years ago, I got really into Bikram yoga [0]. Bikram [1]-- sometimes called hot yoga -- is done in a 105° F studio. I'd go a few times a week. In August. In the desert.

To say that I sweat in that class would be an understatement. It was more like I morphed into a human waterfall. All that sweating made me feel great... at first.

After a couple weeks, I started to feel light-headed after class. I drank water constantly, but I just couldn't manage to rehydrate myself. Finally, after a serious dizzy spell, I figured that my body was telling me to lay off the Bikram for a while.

What I didn't know then was that my body might also have been telling me to treat myself to a sports drink [2].

I've basically tuned out sports drinks. I skip the drink aisles at the grocery store, so I'm unfamiliar with all the new flavored waters, energy drinks, and vitamin-enhanced waters. And I never bothered to investigate because, I thought, who needs the extra sugar and calories?

According to a Los Angeles Times article [3], the more you sweat, the more electrolytes you lose. Back then, I'm sure I needed to replenish those electrolytes, along with some of the sugar I was trying to avoid. The article [4] also offers general guidelines that to help determine what our bodies need during a workout. Below, their recommendations:

Water or Flavored Water: Best for gym and indoor workouts that last about an hour, and involves moderate to vigorous exercise. Most people don't lose enough sodium and potassium to require a sports drink.

Rehydration Drinks: Best if you exercise for more than hour, competitively or in the heat . Look for a drink with 12-17 grams simple carbohydrate and 100-200 mgs sodium per 8-ounce serving, a formula that replaces the sodium and potassium lost through sweat.

Vitamin-Enhanced Water: Experts in the article said that these probably don't offer much during a workout. In fact, they can nauseate some exercisers.

Caffeinated Energy Drinks: Best for a short-term energy boost, but too much caffeine can cause jitters, headaches, and heart palpitations. (Personally, I love the jump-start I get before a workout, but I stick with good old coffee.)

The bottom line, I guess, is to read the labels, experiment, and listen to your body. If I'd been listening more closely after my Bikram classes, I might have indulged in a Gatorade... or maybe a few dozen of them.