Electrolytes are one of the most important topics to understand for endurance athletes, or for anyone looking to maintain a high output of energy for longer.
These minerals play a key part in staying hydrated, and if not properly replenished, can result in a quick onset of fatigue, low energy stores, and decreased muscle function.
If you want to learn all you need to know about electrolytes, how they affect performance, and how to keep your electrolyte stores topped up, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn more!
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are a select group of minerals that support a number of key functions in the body.
There are seven different minerals in total that are classified as electrolytes, but four major ones that are usually talked about: sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Each electrolyte serves a slightly different purpose, but generally, they all support muscle and nerve function in some way.
Healthy electrolyte levels ensure that electrical signals travel properly between the brain, the nerves and the muscles, in order for the muscles to operate correctly.
Various electrolytes serve more functions on top of this, such as maintaining heart health, bone health and energy metabolism.
Electrolyte Balance and Endurance
Proper electrolyte balance is essential for maintaining athletic performance, especially for endurance activities.
Balance means keeping your electrolyte levels in an optimum range – not too high, not too low. However, the most common situation you’ll find yourself in is electrolyte levels dropping too low.
Importance of maintaining electrolyte balance during physical activity
Proper nerve and muscle function is essential for any kind of physical activity.
If you want to move, you need to use your muscles. To use your muscles, your brain needs to send signals to the nerves, which relay those signals to the muscles, which then contract as needed.
Electrolytes help facilitate these signals. If your electrolyte levels drop too low, your muscles become slow to react, or perhaps don’t react at all in the way you want.
This can lead to decreased power output and strength, slower reactions, or even cramps, strains and other muscle injuries.
In addition, depletion of certain electrolytes can reduce the body’s ability to metabolize (i.e. produce) energy – which can result in a fast onset of fatigue, further decreasing performance.
Electrolyte Loss During Exercise
The importance of understanding electrolyte balance comes not just from the role electrolytes play in athletic performance, but the fact that we lose electrolytes at a faster pace when we exercise.
Electrolytes are primarily lost through bodily fluids, such as sweat and urine. When we exercise, our body produces sweat to regulate body temperature, but in doing so, we lose a lot of the key electrolytes we need to maintain optimal performance.
Factors affecting electrolyte loss
Sweat is the primary way we lose electrolytes during exercise.
Anything that causes us to sweat more will likely mean more electrolytes lost. Exercising in a higher temperature environment, or at a higher intensity, for example, can mean we lose electrolytes at a more rapid pace.
Also, the longer we exercise, the more we sweat, and the more depleted our electrolyte levels are likely to be.
Signs of electrolyte deficiency during endurance activities
Common signs of depleted electrolyte levels include:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Muscle cramps
- Aches and pains
- Trembling or palpitations
- Nausea
- Brain fog
- General “unwell” feeling
If you feel these signals during exercise, it may be a sign your electrolyte levels are too low, and need topping up.
How to Replenish Electrolytes for Optimal Performance
To perform at a high level, for a long time, proper electrolyte levels are essential.
Electrolytes are also important for keeping you from feeling run down, exhausted and generally unwell after exercise.
Luckily there are numerous ways to supply your body with the electrolytes you need to maintain optimal performance. Let’s look at some now.
Natural sources of electrolytes
First, there are many natural sources you can look to for electrolytes.
Some of the best food sources for electrolytes include:
- Bananas
- Leafy greens (e.g. spinach, kale)
- Avocados
- Nuts and beans
- Beetroot
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Milk
- Brown rice
Also, any kind of salty food is likely to be high in sodium, which is one of the most commonly depleted electrolytes from physical activity.
Coconut water is another great natural source of electrolytes, with high levels of potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus.
The role of sports drinks and supplements
Sometimes it can be difficult to properly replenish your electrolyte levels through natural sources alone, especially when your electrolytes are heavily depleted, or you’re in the middle of exercise.
It’s not like you can just pause your run and sit down for a meal of salmon, leafy greens and brown rice.
That’s why people often use supplements and sports drinks to help keep their electrolyte levels topped up.
Supplements generally contain a higher density of electrolytes, meaning you don’t need to consume as much in order to fully replace the electrolytes lost during exercise.
This is important, as eating or drinking large amounts before or during exercise can hamper performance in its own way.
Electrolyte-containing sports drinks provide a convenient way to get a fast infusion of electrolytes, on the go, like this grape electrolytes powder from Naked Nutrition.
These drinks do tend to have a higher sugar content, and shouldn’t be thought of as a replacement for healthy natural sources of electrolytes altogether. But they can be an optimal way to refuel in the middle of a workout or race.
Final Thoughts
Proper hydration is key for athletes, or anyone who works up a sweat in the gym, on the treadmill, or hitting the pavement.
Hydration doesn’t just mean drinking enough water – it means replacing the important minerals, namely electrolytes, that are lost in sweat and that are essential for optimal performance.
Natural sources like bananas, leafy greens and coconut water are all good ways to keep your electrolyte levels balanced, and if you need faster refueling, consider supplementing with sports drinks or other electrolyte supplements.
