It’s summer. It’s hot. And we almost always need something to drink.

Old news, right?

Well what do we choose to drink when the Heat brings its mean little brother Thirst to the party?

Our choices are quite varied, thanks to the local WAL-MART providing us with nearly every need. However, our choices have a powerful effect on our bodies.

We may not think about it, but the choice of Gatorade or Coca-Cola may mean the difference between a happy or cramped body. Here are some quick facts on what kinds of drinks we should consider depending on the nature of our thirst:

WATER – H20, ice in a liquid state. Our bodies sweat it – among other things – and need more to supply our blood stream. Bottled water thankfully gives us nothing else to worry about. No calories, no carbs, no sodium, no vitamins (and consequently no flavor.)

Water is recommended for workouts and activities that won’t be going on very long – less than an hour, usually. In that time of sweating, your body hasn’t lost many vitamins or minerals, or even energy-providing carbohydrates for that matter.

GATORADE – One of the most-used thirst-quenching refreshments worldwide. Highly flavored water supplied with a dose of sugar. It tastes fruity and sweet when we’re thirsty.

Those electrolytes the company advertises to have in its drink are minerals like sodium, potassium and chloride – they help prevent cramps and heat stress from fatigue. It also has no fruit juice, for a reason we’ll get to shortly.

However, Gatorade does not cater to those of us worried about getting too much sugar, whether for controlling glucose levels or minimizing cavities.

Gatorade is available and advertised by and large for athletes and those in competitive activities. Gatorade, like its younger brother Propel, is best for exercise and activities lasting over an hour long.

PROPEL – From the makers of Gatorade, this recent addition to the athletic refreshment family is a blend between water and Gatorade. It was created to act as a flavored substitute for water. Some of us may not be interested in drinking water except for being thirsty – but if it tastes good, too, we might drink it more often.

Propel has less than half the amount of sodium of Gatorade and has less than 15% of the amount of sugar in Gatorade. And, unlike sugar-only Gatorade, Propel contains many vitamins and minerals that our bodies sweat out with water. We can generally drink Propel during any time of our workout or daily life.

FRUIT JUICE – These are refreshments of fruity goodness, full of flavor and essential vitamins and minerals. Orange juice is a good source of daily calcium. Natural juice is just plain good. The same goes for milk, which is a primary source of calcium for many Americans.

The catch? If we go bounding around with juice or milk in our stomachs, we’re almost sure to get cramps or an unhappy tummy. Otherwise, it does a body good.

CAFFEINE – Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola, energy drinks. All of these fall into the category of popular caffeinated refreshments during the warm summer months. High in sugar and caffeine, it would seem on the outside they’re loaded with energy for the hard working and sweating body.

But don’t forget: caffeine is a drug that can have a side effect after the high wears off, but also poses another problem for athletes. It makes us have to pee more, which is a form of sweating water out of our blood stream and body.

Even if some of us are used to drinking coffee to keep cool (an unusual but not uncommon practice), it’s actually working against us in our effort to re-hydrate ourselves.

However, energy drinks have one thing all of the above drinks do not: they’re loaded with tons of vitamins, minerals, proteins and chemicals our body uses up in an extended workout. It’s recommended that we use energy drinks after a hard day’s work and not before.

Keeping all this in mind, we have to be aware if the dangers of drinking too much refreshments. We’ve seen news of water-drinking contests killing people, but athletes are at just as much risk of water intoxication if they aren’t modest in consuming their refreshments.

Until next week, I wish rest of us the best in keeping cool, staying hydrated and drinking safe (and I don’t just mean thirst quenchers.)