You've probably heard about them, but what are they? And do we really need them?
We’ll just talk today about their relevance as it pertains to exercise, though there are other ways one can suffer from electrolyte imbalances and there are a whole host of health implications - but let’s go ahead and attack this from a fitness-related perspective as per usual :)
Anyway, we do need them - electrolytes are basically salts that help regulate hydration and transmission of impulses at the cellular level. They’re responsible for facilitating muscle activity (contracting and relaxing properly) and the flow of water in and out of our cells - pretty important stuff!
Some familiar ones are sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, chloride…
For those of us who like to exercise a lot, and get sweaty in the process, it’s easy to lose some of these crucial elements… Basically what happens is that when you sweat, these salts get pulled out along with the water that leaves through your skin - your body’s mechanism of cooling you off when your temperature rises.
Have you ever noticed that your sweat is salty? That’s thanks to the electrolytes that have escaped!
If you’ve ever experienced muscle cramping or spasms as a result of a long, sweaty workout, chances are you had an electrolyte imbalance that caused your muscle to contract HARD and not release as you’d like it to - ouch.
So in order to keep feeling and functioning our best, it’s a good idea to be mindful about putting these back - or even better, getting ahead of any potential imbalance by making sure you’re getting all that you need beforehand.
Your diet can provide a lot of these electrolytes, or you can supplement to be safe - especially if you’re getting a ton of physical activity. I like to use electrolytes (along with lots of water) as part of my pre-, intra-, and post-workout hydration to ensure that my body can keep up with what I demand of it.
Plus, I hate to hurt. Who doesn’t?
As a competitive swimmer, it was especially hard for me to conceptualize how much I was actually sweating because I was always in the water, and I had issues with electrolyte imbalances that caused excessive muscle spasms and cramps that would even jolt me awake at night with excruciating pain in my legs… I learned in a big hurry that it was important for me to get enough water and electrolytes to prevent this from happening!
Now I drink tons of water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for potassium, dairy for calcium, and I salt my foods liberally as table salt is actually sodium chloride, a one-two electrolyte punch!
I also like to use zero calorie electrolyte supplements in my water (again, I hate to hurt and in my opinion you can never be too careful!) because I live in a warm climate and get so much activity, plus I like knowing I'm getting a dose of all the essential electrolytes at once. However, I don’t like to drink my calories in the form of a sugary sport beverage or coconut water…
I honestly don’t think that sports drinks are all that awesome because of that reason - too much added sugar for the amount of electrolytes you get. For the average exerciser, I think a zero calorie option is better - you can much more easily control your carbohydrate intake by incorporating them separately.
Aside from prepared drinks like Powerade Zero (which I love), there are electrolyte powders, tablets, and squeeze bottles on the market now that are affordable, helpful, super portable, and pretty easy to find. I always keep a little squeeze bottle in my purse in case I start to feel yucky after a workout!
So friends, do your body a solid and make sure to give it what it needs. Getting enough electrolytes will help keep you pain free and kicking ass, no matter what your activity of choice might be!
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you found this helpful! :)
