Everything You Need to Know About Electrolytes
It is getting HOT in Texas! If you’re doing any outdoor exercise in this warm, humid spring weather you know how much harder everything feels! It always takes me a few weeks to acclimate to the weight of the heat and humidity, during which time you can find me with one hand on my knee and the other pouring water on my head. The worst part of these spring runs is that no amount of water seems to quench my thirst or put that pep back in my step.
If you’re feeling me on this and also wonder whether you lost all your fitness overnight, I have good news. There’s nothing wrong with us. We just need a little time, a lot of water, and electrolytes! Today I want to cover why electrolytes are important to this equation. And I’ll tell you where to get electrolytes in your diet so that you can stay energized through the spring and summer.
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have a negative or positive charge, meaning they carry electric energy. The four most important electrolytes to keep your hydration balanced are:
Sodium (Na+)
Potassium (K+)
Calcium (Ca 2+)
Magnesium (Mg 2+)
What Do Electrolytes Do?
Electrolytes are critical to maintaining our nervous system, muscle movement, and balancing our body’s pH. The positive or negative sign indicates their charge, and this electric charge is where the action is. Most importantly for this conversation, the charges on electrolytes allow them to control the flow of water in and out of our cells (1). Essentially, electrolytes have to maintain a balancing act with water.
What Happens When Your Body is Low on Electrolytes?
Prolonged exercise and excessive sweating (which can happen when it’s hot) can cause a loss of electrolytes. That loss is what makes us feel like we’re not performing at our best.
Most people get enough electrolytes through their regular diet. But some people, like endurance athletes or people who spend a lot of time in a hot climate (hello, my fellow Texans), might run low on electrolytes. When this happens, our bodies can have some pretty strong reactions.
Post-Exercise Exhaustion: If you feel way more tired after doing a workout in the summer than in the winter, it’s probably because you’re running low on electrolytes.
Performance Decline: Ever feel like you’re moving slower on hotter days? If your body isn’t getting the electrolytes it needs, you’re going to see a significant drop in athletic performance.
Muscle Cramping: There are a lot of reasons you may get muscle cramps. But a frequent culprit is an electrolyte imbalance caused by drinking too much plain water (2). That’s because all that water can dilute the electrolytes in your blood knocking everything out of balance.
Hyponatremia: This is super extreme and relatively rare. This condition occurs when your blood sodium levels are extremely low. It’s caused by losing significant amounts of sodium through sweat and drinking too much plain water.
Can You Get Too Many Electrolytes?
Even though every person has different needs, as with most things, you can absolutely get too many electrolytes. Remember that sodium is one of the electrolytes, so if you have or are at risk of hypertension, you need to keep that in mind and talk to your doc about your electrolyte consumption. Also, magnesium is so great for a number of bodily functions (I might have a post just on the benefits of magnesium), but too much magnesium can have you running to the bathroom.
The amount of electrolytes your body needs to consume will depend on weather conditions, genetics, and the amount of time you spend exercising. The key here is listening to your body. Are you feeling sluggish while working out or experiencing headaches, nausea, or lightheadedness throughout the day? It could be linked to an electrolyte imbalance.
How to Replenish Your Electrolytes
Thankfully, there are many ways you can replenish your electrolytes throughout the day and during exercise.
Replenish Electrolytes During the Day
Real Food
Many people can get all the electrolytes they need by eating a diet that is full of electrolyte-rich foods. Here’s a breakdown of the top four electrolytes for hydration balance and where you can find them in your everyday diet:
Sodium: Table salt (if you have hypertension, be careful with this one! You should also watch sodium intake after a workout)
Potassium: Spinach, kale, avocado, banana, coconut water
Calcium: Dairy, almonds, spinach, kale
Magnesium: Spinach, nuts, pumpkin seeds, beans, whole grains
Electrolyte Supplements
When the weather heats up or you are going to spend a lot of time exercising, dietary sources may not cut it. Supplements are one of the best ways to replenish electrolytes in your bloodstream throughout the day. But you want to look for electrolytes with little or no added sugar. Save the sports drinks for times that you are engaging in a sport, not answering emails on a Monday afternoon. All that added sugar can cause a whole other set of problems. Instead, stick to electrolyte tabs or powders with little or no added sugar and low calories. I like to use Nuun tabs once or twice per day in a big glass of water. LMNT recharge is also a good product but a bit more expensive.
Replenish Electrolytes During Exercise
When you’re working out, you want to make sure you’re getting back all the electrolytes you lose through sweat (3). First things first -- don’t start your workout already behind. Make sure your body has plenty of electrolytes before heading out into the heat. It will make staying on top of your hydration that much easier. During longer workouts, water and simple carbohydrates are key. Use sports drinks, salt pills, and energy gels to replenish electrolytes throughout the activity.
Still Have Questions?
Have some questions about how you can keep your electrolytes in balance so that you can keep working towards your fitness goals as the weather heats up? Let’s chat about how I can support you!
References:
Balcı, A. K., Koksal, O., Kose, A., Armagan, E., Ozdemir, F., Inal, T., & Oner, N. (2013). General characteristics of patients with electrolyte imbalance admitted to the emergency department. World journal of emergency medicine, 4(2), 113–116. https://doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.issn.1920-8642.2013.02.005
Jeker, D., Claveau, P., Abed, M., Deshayes, T. A., Lajoie, C., Gendron, P., Hoffman, M. D., & Goulet, E. (2021). Programmed vs. Thirst-Driven Drinking during Prolonged Cycling in a Warm Environment. Nutrients, 14(1), 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010141
Von Duvillard, S. P., Braun, W. A., Markofski, M., Beneke, R., & Leithäuser, R. (2004). Fluids and hydration in prolonged endurance performance. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 20(7-8), 651–656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2004.04.011
