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Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade, Vitamin Water… every day we are bombarded with thousands of advertisements of sports drinks. Since the 90s sports drinks have been marketed in such a way as to instill the idea that they are the indispensable ‘go-to’ product for electrolyte replenishment post physical activity. But are they really the best answer?
To answer this question, we must first understand exactly what electrolytes are and why they are fundamental. At what point do we truly need to replenish them?
Post Contents
What are Electrolytes
Electrolytes simply put, are minerals that when dissolved in fluid break down into electrically charged particles called ions. These ions produce electricity in the body in order to transmit nerve impulses, induce muscle contractions, regulate fluid and PH balance and much more. The 7 main electrolytes are calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphate, magnesium, chloride, and bicarbonate. View the table at the end of the post to see functions for each mineral/electrolyte.
It is easy to see how important electrolytes are for our survival. So why do we speak of electrolytes particularly when speaking of sports?
We Sweat Out Our Electrolytes
The whole reason why sports drinks came into being is because we lose electrolytes through our sweat. So here comes the first question you should ask yourself before picking up some kind of replenishment- do you really need it? How much did you sweat? Now if you’re like me, you definitely need it haha. But if you did a light tennis match that lasted under 45 minutes, did you really sweat all that much?? If your answer is no, you don’t need to go and add sodium to your diet- you are more than likely getting enough with your daily diet. Check out my post on What is Your Sweat Telling You to figure out what type of “sweater” you are!
Loss of Electrolytes
So, you’ve established you’ve lost enough electrolytes and that you are in a deficiency. What are the consequences for this? No, your heart is not going to all of the sudden start beating arrhythmically. But your recuperation time might take longer if you don’t replenish. Cramping, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and nausea can creep up leaving you exhausted even at your next session. Check out my post on 7 Reasons Drinking Water Keeps you Young and Fit for more info regarding the importance of hydration!
How to Replenish?
Well the number one thing to understand here is that you are only lacking electrolytes. So even though you might feel low energy levels you don’t necessarily need carbs or calories. This is the number one reason most sports drinks are in reality detrimental. Not only do they contain minuscule amounts of minerals to replace our lost electrolytes, but they are packed with sugars! This defeats the whole purpose of the workout in the first place!
When trying to find a product, make sure that if it’s a sports drink it doesn’t contain sugar. Second of all, make sure it contains sodium. Many sports drink advertise themselves as electrolyte supplements but actually only contain a little bit of magnesium. Sodium in the first place, calcium, magnesium and potassium are the essential minerals you want to see in the ingredients list.
Suggestion
Instead of hydrating with a sports drink, opt for mineral electrolyte powders that you can add to your water. Again, always check the labels!!! Make sure there are NO SUGARS and that the grams per portion of minerals are high enough to restore those lost electrolytes!
So that’s it ladies, the next time you head for the gym instead of grabbing that Powerade you can make an informed decision. I guarantee you will be consuming a much higher quality product and your body will feel it!
Happy Hydration!
This blog post is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. Please read my full disclosure for further information.
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