4 Trending Healthier Sports Drinks and How They Impact Your Workplace

Sports and energy drinks have soared in popularity over the past few years. According to a recent Mintel report, sales across the industry are up 37.4% from 2015. Fueled by pandemic exhaustion and a new wave of health-focused lifestyle beverages, your associates’ recent energy-boosting habits are here to stay. Mintel also predicts sports drink sales will reach nearly $20 billion in the next three years. We’re here to analyze the data and tell you how that’s good for you and your teams.

How sports drinks are changing

Being three years into a pandemic when many consumers were stuck at home, limited on travel, and unable to get out and enjoy social events like before, most of us have felt exhausted for far too long. Add in a growing movement towards health-focused lifestyles, and you get a shifting ready-to-drink landscape rising to meet our needs. Big brands like Monster, Red Bull, and all their friends aren’t going anywhere, but we’ve seen growing competition from brands offering alternative or natural ingredients and other functional additions. Your associates can get more out of their beverages with varieties like coffee, water, and juice styles to stock up on nutrients and enjoy great flavors.

Why it matters

You and your team perform better when you’re properly hydrated. Studies show that even minor dehydration impairs short-term memory and focus, reaction times can drop by 23% percent, and the overall brain fog can negatively affect mood and motivation. While good old tap water can fuel a productive workplace, your associates want more. Carbohydrates and electrolytes will boost energy and focus, plus sweet fruit-based flavors make it easy to keep chugging. It’s important to remember everyone is different when considering how much water and nutrients you need to look and feel your best. On average, men require about 3.7 liters, and women need 2.7 liters of fluids per day from water, other beverages, and food.

Trending Functional Drinks

We ran the numbers with our data team and saw huge trends among these four drink brands offering more than just energy.

1. BODYARMOR

BODYARMOR has exploded in popularity in the past couple of years by promising superior hydration and electrolytes from natural sources like coconut water. It offers a wide selection of flavors, low-calorie or caffeinated varieties, and even an alkaline water option.

2. Celsius

Celsius introduces science to boost focus, energy, and performance without sugar or preservatives. Each drink combines natural ingredients like green tea extract and ginger root combined with B and C vitamins on top of a heavy dose of caffeine. This one is for intense energy to get through those long days at work.

3. Core Organic Hydration

An important factor in recent health-focused trends is immunity support, in part thanks to the pandemic we mentioned before. Certified organic, free of artificial sweeteners, and boosting immunity with zinc, Core comes in with a delicious solution in four flavors.

4. Pricklee

Coconut water has held the electrolytes and hydration spotlight for years, but Pricklee aims to change that. Based on the prickly pear fruit born of cacti in the scorching Mexican desert, this cactus water is loaded with natural antioxidants to boost immunity, support skin health, and assist recovery from exercise, fatty foods, alcohol, and UV rays.