As I could feel the salty sweat drying on my face the other day while we were driving home from an intense outdoor workout in the sun we stopped at a gas station to pick up a couple of sports drinks to help replenish our electrolytes. It got me thinking about how little electrolyte balance is talked about, let alone advised to athletes and those who are into exercise. So, I’ve decided to blog about it!
The official definition of an electrolyte is “a substance that produces an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water.”. These electrolytes are present in the human body and are ESSENTIAL for normal and proper function of all our organs, systems, and tissues.
Types of electrolytes:
- sodium
- potassium
- calcium
- bicarbonate
- magnesium
- chloride
- phosphate
Basically, electrolytes are essential to our survival. Dramatic, I know. They help keep us hydrated, balance blood acidity and pressure, regulate nerve and muscle function, and help rebuild tissue when it is damaged – you can see just how important they are to life! What actually happens to our bodies when electrolyte levels are depleted?
- Muscle twitching/spasming
- Weakness/tiredness
- Confusion
- Numbness
- If left unchecked it can also lead to seizures and an irregular heartbeat
Now you’re probably wondering how the heck you even deplete your electrolytes to the point of the above symptoms occurring. Electrolytes can be depleted in a number of ways, but at the end of the day it all boils down to rapid fluid loss. For example, excessive sweating, diarrhoea, and vomiting would be the main causes for electrolyte loss.
You likely have been told that when you’re sick or after/during an intense workout that you should be drinking lots of water to replace the fluid you have lost, and while this is true, it can also be quite dangerous. An interesting little tidbit of information (that could potentially save a life) is that dehydration and over hydration have almost identical signs and symptoms – but over hydration is potentially even more life-threatening than dehydration, so keep that in mind when suggesting to a tired athlete that they should drink some more water if they have been already. There have been many recorded deaths from those running marathons that have over-hydrated themselves during the race.
When hydrating yourself after losing a lot of fluid, your drink should contain some electrolytes. You’ve all drank Gatorade before I’m assuming? That would be an example of fluid that helps hydrate and replenish your electrolytes, but not the ONLY one. One thing to remember with sports drinks is that they have a very high amount of electrolytes in them, and sugar, so be careful not to drink TOO much of them (a high concentration of electrolytes can cause many of the same issues that too little electrolytes in the body does). Another great, and less calorie-dense option is coconut water – coconut water is PACKED with electrolytes and other good-for-you stuff.
Electrolytes can also be found in foods such as dill pickles, table salt, olives, yogurt, bananas, spinach, cheeses like feta and ricotta, leafy greens, and fish such as sardines and halibut.
With all this being said, it doesn’t mean that I’m suggesting you go and get cases and cases of coconut water to drink after every single workout. A normal, weight lifting session in a well-ventilated gym where you sweat a relatively normal amount probably doesn’t warrant a large degree of electrolyte replenishment – your regular post workout snack and water should do the trick. Intense exercise such as long distance running, HIIT workouts, and anything else where you sweat profusely probably will need some supplementation – just don’t over do it!
Alright, das it das all – did you find this post helpful at all? Are electrolytes and their importance something that you were aware of or had absolutely no idea about? Let me know in the comments – I love your feedback!
Until next time
xx