Ask Jules… about electrolytes.
There are so many electrolytes to choose from. Would I want to use the same product for an endurance race as opposed to a snowboard session?
-Cindy
Hi Cindy!
Great question. To start, let’s make sure we are on the same page about what an electrolyte is and why we may need to take them in a supplement form. In the context of nutrition, a mineral that causes a negative or positive charge when dissolved in water is an electrolyte. We care about them during physical activity mostly due to their ability to regulate fluid balance (remember osmosis from high school science?!) and for their role in conducting chemical reactions via their electrical charge in the body. Therefore, they help with things such as muscle contractions, cell hydration, pH balance, and regulating heart rhythm
Being even more specific to nutrition for activity we focus on sodium (positive charge), chloride (negative charge), potassium (positive charge), calcium (positive charge), phosphate (negative charge) and magnesium (positive charge). These electrolytes live in the fluids inside and outside of cells. These need to be replaced regularly, regardless of exercise, through food and beverages throughout the day.
When we workout hard we sweat out sodium and chloride (salt) and small amounts of other electrolytes. We are also using our muscles and heart more extensively. The hotter the weather, the higher the altitude, the longer the distance or the greater the intensity of the exercise the more electrolyte loss we have.
So, the answer is two fold. First, if and how much electrolyte replacement you use for any given activity depends on the situation. If you are well trained and acclimated to the conditions for your endurance race then you will want some electrolytes, mostly sodium/salt, alternating roughly every 20min with water; however if you are under any of the conditions listed above (hotter, longer, higher, etc.) then you will want more sodium/salt. (Follow this same logic for trianing). Same goes for snowboarding- is it a short, leisure day with low sweat and low energy output, or an all day, sweaty, back coutry, high heart rate kind of day on the snow? Or both? Usually, snowboarding does not warrant more than water intake and snack breaks to replace electrolytes, however you may need to make your own judgement call on this.
Signs that you may be low in electrolytes (or water or food in general) include dizziness, headache, muscle cramps or irregular heart rate.
Second, what kind of product to choose if you do feel you need a supplement to replace electrolytes? First, water and food before, (during if over an hour) and after any activity is warranted, regardless of added electrolytes. Most products dissolve in water and have some flavor and a little sugar/carbohydrates. Some have more nutrients than just sodium and other electrolytes. For general use really all you need is the sodium, all others you should get from food; I suggest nuun sport hydration (not significant carbohydrates) or scratch labs (sport version for extra carbohydrates). For a higher sodium dose, for situations as listed above, try LMNT.
- Jules, MS, RDN, LD
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