FitLine Fitness-Drink: What the Isotonic Drink Is For and When to Take It

Fitness-Drink in 30 seconds: this is FitLine's isotonic drink, a 30 g sachet to dissolve in 500 ml of water, orange flavour. It contains carbohydrates (sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin, fructose), electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) and vitamins. It is designed for prolonged endurance efforts, the ones that run past the hour mark: carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions contribute to the maintenance of endurance performance during prolonged endurance exercise and enhance the absorption of water during physical exercise. It is not for losing weight, it is not for a 30-minute walk, and it is not for children. It costs 48.00 euro in Italy for 15 sachets, so 3,20 euro a serving.

I'm Alfio Nicolosi, independent FitLine Team Partner: I earn a commission on purchases made through my links. Fitness-Drink is one of the products I talk people out of most often, because most of the people who ask me about it simply don't need it. So let me explain when it does make sense.

What Fitness-Drink is

It is a powdered food supplement used to make an isotonic drink, produced in Germany for PM-International as part of FitLine's sports line. "Isotonic" means the concentration of sugars and salts is close to that of body fluids, which is what allows it to be absorbed quickly while you are still working.

The label describes it as "particularly suitable for people doing sport": it is not an everyday drink, it is a product for long training sessions and race days.

What's inside

Group	Ingredients	The honest note
Carbohydrates	Sugar, dextrose, maltodextrin, fructose	These are the first four ingredients: it is a drink made of sugars, and for the job it is meant to do that is exactly right
Electrolytes	Sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calcium phosphates, magnesium carbonate, calcium lactate, salt	The electrolytes you lose through sweat
Vitamins	C, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin	The B vitamins contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism
Other	Algae powder, ginger extract, beta-carotene, pectin, natural flavourings	Natural colour and taste

The point that really matters: a 30 g sachet is mostly carbohydrate, around 100-110 kcal per 500 ml. That is not a flaw, it is the function of the product. But if you drink it "to stay hydrated" at your desk, or instead of water, you are drinking sugar for no reason at all.

The comparison across the whole sports range is in the guide to supplements for sport.

What it's really for: the two authorised claims

EFSA authorises exactly two claims for carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions, and they are precisely the two sentences that tell you whether you need this product or not:

1. Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions contribute to the maintenance of endurance performance during prolonged endurance exercise.
2. Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions enhance the absorption of water during physical exercise.

"Prolonged", in practice, means running, cycling, swimming, hiking, football or tennis beyond 60-90 minutes, especially in the heat and with heavy sweating. Below that duration, water is enough and the extra carbohydrates are just calories.

When it makes sense and when it doesn't

It makes sense for:

• A long run, a race, a bike ride over an hour and a half.
• Matches and tournaments with several efforts in the same day.
• Training in serious heat, where you lose a lot of salts.
• A full day of hiking.

It doesn't make sense for:

• Walking, a 45-60 minute gym session, yoga, pilates: water.
• Anyone training in order to lose weight: the carbohydrates in the drink cancel out part of the deficit you are working to create.
• Use as an everyday "energy" drink: for that there is Activize Oxyplus, which is a completely different thing.
• Children: the label rules it out.

Personally I only use it on long bike rides and on hiking days. On my daily 40-minute walks, which were the foundation of the 30 kg I lost, I drink water.

How to prepare it and how much to drink

1. Dissolve one sachet (30 g) in 500 ml of still water.
2. Shake it well and sip it during the effort, not all at once beforehand.
3. Recommended dose: 1 sachet a day.

A practical rhythm for long efforts: 150-200 ml every 15-20 minutes, starting from the first half hour. If the effort lasts more than two or three hours, add plain water between sips.

Fitness-Drink or water and salt?

It is a fair question, given that it costs 3,20 euro a serving. A bottle of water with a pinch of salt and a spoonful of sugar or honey does part of the job for a few cents. What Fitness-Drink adds is a mix of different carbohydrates (dextrose, maltodextrin and fructose, which the body absorbs by different routes), potassium, magnesium, calcium and the vitamins, all ready to go in a sachet you can carry in a pocket. If you do long efforts regularly, the convenience is worth the price; if you do them twice a year, it isn't.

Like all FitLine products it sits inside the Cologne List anti-doping control programme: for anyone competing under testing, that is the main reason to choose a certified product rather than a home-made mix.

Contraindications

• Diabetes: this is a drink built on fast-absorbing carbohydrates, so it needs to be agreed with your doctor.
• Children: not suitable, according to the label.
• High blood pressure and low-sodium diets: it contains salt and sodium citrate, so ask your doctor.
• Kidney problems: because of the potassium and the phosphates, speak to your doctor.
• Anyone who doesn't do long efforts: that isn't a contraindication, it is simply pointless.

Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. More detail on interactions and safety is in the article on side effects of FitLine products.

Price and where to buy it

48.00 euro for 15 sachets of 30 g (450 g), which is 3,20 euro a serving. With the Team Partner discount it comes to around 2.56 euro. Prices vary from country to country, so check the figures for your own market. It is sold only in the official PM-International store through a Team Partner: a 5% discount code on your first order (FitLine discount code) or become a partner. The full price list is in the guide to FitLine prices. Product sheet: FitLine Fitness-Drink.

Frequently asked questions

Does Fitness-Drink give you energy? It gives you carbohydrates, which are energy for the muscles during a long effort. It is not a stimulant: it contains no caffeine and it doesn't wake you up.

Can I drink it every day? The maximum dose is one sachet a day, but it only makes sense on days with a prolonged effort. On any other day it is 100 extra kcal of sugars.

Is it good for the gym? For an hour of weights, no: water. For a two-hour intense session or a competition, yes.

Is it fattening? Drunk without any effort, it is extra calories, just like any other sugary drink. Drunk during a long effort, it gets used.

How many salts does it contain? Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in the amounts stated on the label, which can change: always check the pack.

What's the difference with Activize Oxyplus? Activize Oxyplus is caffeine and B vitamins for focus and drive, in 40 ml. Fitness-Drink is carbohydrates and salts for endurance, in 500 ml. They do two different jobs.

Conclusion

Fitness-Drink is a good isotonic drink, with a sensible carbohydrate and electrolyte profile and anti-doping control behind it. It has exactly one correct use: endurance efforts beyond the hour. For everything else, from short training sessions to weight loss, it is either useless or counterproductive, and I would rather tell you that myself than let you work it out from the scales.

FitLine is a registered trademark of PM-International AG. This website is run by an independent Team Partner and is not the company's official site. The information here is provided for general information purposes and does not replace medical advice.