Sports drinks are really easy to make - not to mention a lot cheaper than buying expensive bottles in shops.
All you need are a few ingredients and a little bit of imagination.
There are three main types of sports drinks; isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic.
Each drink serves a different purpose depending on what type of training you are doing.

ISOTONIC DRINKS
They are designed to quickly replace the fluids which are lost by sweating. They also provide a boost of carbohydrates.
The body prefers to use glucose as its source of energy. Sometimes it is better to consume isotonic drinks where the carbohydrate source is a concentrated form of glucose.
They are commonly drunk by athletes, especially middle and long distance runners, but all professional sportspeople use them in their daily training regimes.
Drink one: Fruit Academy
You will need:

200ml ordinary fruit squash
800ml water
A pinch of salt
Mix them all together in a jug and cool down in fridge.
Drink two: Thirst Burst
You will need:

500ml unsweetened fruit juice (orange, apple, pineapple)
500ml water
Mix them all together in a jug and cool down in fridge.
Drink Three: Feelin' fruity
You will need:

50-70g sugar
One litre of warm water
Pinch of salt
200ml of sugar free squash
Mix, cool and drink

HYPERTONIC DRINKS
Hypertonic drinks are used to supplement your daily carbohydrate intake. They contain even higher levels of carbs than isotonic and hypotonic drinks.

There are plenty of squash flavours available
The best time to drink them is after exercise as they help your body to top up on muscle glycogen stores. These are your valuable energy stores.
In very long distance events such as marathons, high levels of energy are required.
Hypertonic drinks can also be taken during exercise to meet the energy requirements.
However, it is advisable to only use them during exercise alongside isotonic drinks to replace fluids.
Make your own - You will need:

400ml of squash
One litre of water
Pinch of salt
Mix, cool and drink

HYPOTONIC DRINKS
Hypotonic are designed to quickly replaces fluids lost through sweating. Unlike isotonic and hypertonic drinks they are low in carbohydrates.
They are very popular with athletes who need fluid without the boost of carbohydrate. Jockeys and gymnasts use them regularly.
The best time to drink them is after a tough exercise work out as hypotonic drinks directly target the main cause of fatigue in sport - dehydration - by replacing water and energy fast.
Make your own - You will need:

100ml of squash
One litre of water
Pinch of salt
Mix, cool and drin