Gatorade has made a fortune persuading everyone who does any form of exercise to drink carbs before, during and after their workouts, regardless of how long or intense the exercise.

Sure, Gatorade has its place in sports nutrition, such as immediately after a workout or during a very long and intense run. Before you hit your cardio, though, the last thing you want to drink is a carb mixture.

When you consume carbs, they prevent your body from using fat to fuel your workout. To burn the most fat possible during cardio, you should consume only a small amount of protein (6-20 grams) and nothing else.

Many sport nutritionists consider this bad advice, because exercising without carbs can leave an athlete feeling more fatigued and unable to train at a high intensity or for a longer duration. A study from England shows how to burn more fat and still be able to exercise harder and longer.

The Study Researchers from the University of Birmingham (Edgbaston) had trained male and female cyclists perform a set amount of work on a stationary cycle as fast as they could on two separate occasions.

On one occasion, every seven to eight minutes, they rinsed their mouths for several seconds with water and spit it out. On the other occasion, they did the same rinse-and-spit protocol with a carbohydrate drink similar to Gatorade.

The Results The carb-rinse subjects completed the same amount of work as the water-rinse group, but did so almost three minutes faster. The British scientists concluded that the carb drink activated carbohydrate receptors located in the mouth to signal the brain to increase drive and motivation in the athletes, allowing them to work out much harder.

The Recommendation To activate carbohydrate receptors in your mouth so that you can exercise harder and still maximize fat burning, sip on a carb beverage like Gatorade or Powerade every five to 10 minutes while you exercise (we recommend buying the product in powder form and mixing it with water to save money).

Be sure not to swallow. Instead, swish the drink in your mouth for five to 10 seconds, then spit it out. Obviously, this technique works best for outdoor cardio such as running or cycling. If you do all your cardio indoors, be sure to bring a spit cup or bottle. [via]