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! :)
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The most natural and healthy "sport drink" you can have is COCONUT WATER! it has a lot of electrolytes that will help you without any chemicals or extra sugar :)
Great! I love coconut water! Thanks!
Me too.
Very natural, true! And the electrolyte boost you get is awesome :) although there is no extra sugar added (usually), there IS naturally occurring sugar in coconut water that some might want to be mindful of :) great suggestion!
Thank you very much! I like fitness world very much, I'm going to follow you because your posts seems interesting for me! keep going.
I learned something new reading your post. Yes, sweat is salty. If you sweat too much either doing exercise or anything else, you have to stay hydrated. I'm a big fan of water, coconut water, vegetables and fruits.
Awesome! So glad to hear it :) And that's great, you probably get plenty of electrolytes from diet that way!
I didn't know this about electrolyte. I always learn something from your posts. keep posting @annemariemay
I think this is such an important topic for people to get familiar with. I think it's common knowledge to "know of" electrolytes, but to understand how they work with the synergy and health of your body is important. And like you touched on, potassium is another big one that explain to a lot of people who are cramping but still getting sufficient electrolytes. You're posts are awesome and super informative. I've been out of the fitness industry for a while so I like reading them to not only refresh my memory on things but I've also learned a lot of new things! You're a rockstar!
P.S. You finish that cake yet?? lol
Oh my gosh, thank you so much! That means a lot to me :) I really appreciate the support!
And yes I did haha! It was a BIIIGGGG papa when all was said and done - it was so heavy haha! I posted a Dtube video about it 4 posts back - take a peek if you'd like to see! Xoxo!!!
I didn't know what electrolytes were until now. Thank you for this very informative post!
Oh good, I'm so glad if it was helpful! Thanks so much for reading and for your comment! :)
Thank you! People are always getting sick when hiking up to some hill in my city. The bus has a sign for people to "drink more water" - yet you will see many sick people anyway.....I have been thinking this could be a total solution. Thanks @annemariemay for your thoughtful post.
Oh wow, how interesting! What city do you live in? And maybe so - I hope it's a solution at least! :) you're so welcome, and thank you for your thoughtful comment and support! :)
Electrolytes are extremely important as this post says. @annemariemay, as a nephrologist, electrolytes are my specialty. It would be an honor to help your audience understand the importance of each of them.
Wow, you probably know leagues more than I do about this topic and I bet people would love to read and gain some additional knowledge from you! If you post about this please tag me, I'd love to support you in that!! :)
Thanks @annemariemay. My next post will be about hyponatremia (low sodium concentration). I will mention (tag) you. Lets see how it goes!
Hahaha!!! :D
I agree with all You speak, but NaCl is empty and have great alternative in form Himalayan Salt,
if want read - very good post
Thank you! :)
Salt certainly gets demonized for sure but we need it.
Agreed! I'm actually kind of interested to see how salt does in the next few years as science advances...Oftentimes our previous notions about what is "bad" get completely overturned! Which works for me because I looooove salt :) :) :)