I was recently contacted by the advertising folks at Propel to bring my readers on board their new campaign ‘How fit is your water?’ I’d seen their new commercials but not really paid them much mind, since I had always been a water girl in the gym anyway.
Did you know if you drank one of these other vitamin enhanced waters instead of Propel you would have to do 492 more sit ups, take 2,640 more steps or do 995 more jumps just to burn off the calories in that beverage?
- Propel Advertising
I decided to test it out anyway, and see how it held up to a good workout. I took a lemon flavored Propel with me on a good hour long bike ride last weekend. My first complaint was the bottle design. While working out, especially on the bike, unscrewing the lid and juggling both the bottle, top and bike all at the same time was challenging. I’d like to see a company promoting their product to a fitness geared group to throw me a little functionality in there as well.
Now, I tried the lemon flavor before boarding it on the bike to make sure I was actually gonna drink it. Sitting around with my roommates, I was pretty pleased with the taste. I imagined it was going to be a little more watered down tasting, especially since the clear liquid mimics water so well. My roommates all spouted out their favorite flavors (berry won). I asked the girls (all three are college athletes, mind you) where they typically drink Propel. They replied mostly in the summer to cool off, although none of them said they drink Propel while working out.
I could see why when I was on my bike ride. When I stopped for a drink (I figured out pretty quickly with traffic passing me, my Propel bottle was not going to be a solid drink on the go) I was pretty displeased with the taste. The lemon flavor was so sweet and sugary tasting, I contemplated ditching it completely and finding a drinking fountain to refill. I was concerned about my hands being sticky from the sugary drink (they wern't), and also turned off that I couldn't finish my ride by pouring a little stream down over my face like I would with a water bottle.
However, Propel is the grandchild of the Gatorade company, which boasts its ability to hydrate you better than water. Propel promises to ‘help hydrate and nourish the active body throughout the day’. I guess if I were to be hanging out all day throwing a Frisbee or going for a walk, I wouldn’t mind a Propel in hand.
If you’re typically a sports drink fan during heavy activity, Propel would be a good choice. It would also work wonders with keeping kids hydrated (or anyone who isn’t an avid water drinker). Their new campaign promotes low calories among other sports drinks. With 10 calories & 2 grams of sugar per 8 oz. bottle, they beat competition (vitamin water is about 40 & 13 for the same size). If you’re looking to cut calories in the gym, I’d suggest going the old fashion water route, since a regular sized 20 oz bottle of Propel will run you about 25 calories.
Check out their commercial here.
What do you normally drink during your workouts? What’s your favorite sports drink and when do you regularly drink it?
