Commercial sports drinks are convenient, but a lot of them are more sugar and colouring than anything genuinely useful for hydration. Making your own version at home is a lot simpler than most people expect, and it gives you full control over how sweet it is and how much you're actually putting into your body during a long session of training or a hot day outdoors.

The basic formula only needs two things beyond water, a source of fast-digesting carbohydrate and a source of electrolytes. Dextrose Monohydrate is the go-to here for the carb side, since it's a simple sugar that gets absorbed quickly and gives you usable energy during exercise rather than sitting in your stomach. A tablespoon or two dissolved into 500ml of water is a reasonable starting point for shorter sessions, and you can scale that up for longer or more intense training where you're sweating a lot more.

For the electrolyte side, a scoop of Electrolyte Powder mixed into the same bottle covers the sodium and other minerals you lose through sweat, which plain water alone doesn't replace. Mixing the dextrose and electrolyte powder together in the bottle before adding all your water helps everything dissolve evenly rather than leaving undissolved powder sitting at the bottom, so give it a proper shake once you've added the water rather than just a quick swirl.

The ratio you use really depends on the conditions you're training in and how much you sweat. On a mild day with a moderate session, a lighter mix with less dextrose is fine, since you're not losing electrolytes or burning through carbohydrate as fast. On a hot day, or during something like a long run or a heavy training block, doubling up on both the dextrose and electrolyte powder in a larger bottle makes more sense, since your body is working harder to replace what it's losing.

Flavour is worth thinking about too, since a completely unflavoured mix of dextrose and electrolytes isn't the most appealing thing to drink, especially if you're sipping on it steadily through a long session. A squeeze of lemon or lime juice cuts through the slight sweetness of the dextrose nicely and makes the whole thing more refreshing. If you want it a bit sweeter without adding more dextrose, a pinch of a natural sweetener like stevia works well without pushing your carbohydrate intake higher than it needs to be.

The real advantage of mixing your own is knowing exactly what's going into the bottle, without the artificial colours and flavourings that a lot of commercial options are loaded with. It costs a fraction of the price too once you're buying the dextrose and electrolyte powder in bulk, which adds up quickly if you're training regularly and going through a bottle most days of the week.