You’ve likely heard about electrolytes before, but do you know what they technically are?
In today’s AI-inundated world, a phrase like electrolyte might initially seem like an AI creation straight out of a Star Trek episode; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth!
In reality, electrolytes are simply essential minerals that help our bodies fulfill all sorts of daily activities.
It’s normal to see gymgoers carrying around water bottles containing colorful, electrolyte-rich drinks, and it’s also perfectly normal to wonder how these drinks improve fitness performance during workout sessions.
Below we’ll be detailing a comprehensive overview about what electrolytes technically are, and how they can support your exercises!
What Exactly Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are ions, which means they’re charged bodily particles that have the ability to conduct electricity when dissolved in liquids—particularly water.
Water also has a whole variety of essential electrolytes, including calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium and chloride. You probably learned all about these elements in your high school chemistry class, but you might not realize that these common electrolytes are restocked within your body every time you rehydrate.
What Do Electrolytes Technically Do?
Just like water, essential electrolytes are vital for our everyday lives. We simply couldn’t live without them!
In terms of hydration during your workouts, electrolytes help direct water (and its included nutrients) to the parts of your body where hydration is needed most. This type of cueing is due to the fact that electrolytes are either negatively or positively charged, which means that they allow your body’s cells to conduct electricity.
This is incredibly important during workouts because your muscles naturally only fire up once they’ve received electrical signals directly from your brain—and electrolytes catalyze the overall flow of these cranial signals.
What Happens When Electrolyte Levels Are Low?
We all lose electrolytes on a daily basis by simply doing basic bodily functions, but the main way that people lose electrolytes is by sweating during workouts. The more intense your workouts are, the more electrolytes you’ll lose.
And when your body is experiencing an electrolyte imbalance, it can alter your overall fitness performance and make recoveries take longer. Some common symptoms of electrolyte imbalances include headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps and fatigue—which are all issues that fitness enthusiasts want to avoid!
How Do Electrolytes Support Fitness Performance?
Maintaining a healthy mineral balance is vital for your body as you’re performing physical exercises and recovering afterwards, and electrolytes are crucial for helping your body run smoothly during and after strenuous workouts.
Electrolytes are essentially like the unsung heroes of your entire fitness journey, and you’ll definitely gain more appreciation for electrolytes once you start recognizing how they support your body and daily nutrition.
Below are five of the top ways that electrolytes can support your overall fitness performance:
1. Boosting Hydration
When you consume electrolytes during your workouts, you subsequently make it easier for your body to retain water.
This is one reason why it’s generally recommended to eat or drink a sports supplement prior to an intense cardio workout, because you’ll be more easily able to retain your body’s water supply once you’ve balanced out your electrolyte levels.
2. Supporting Muscle Contraction
Electrolyte balance is also essential when it comes to muscle fatigue and contraction. When your body has an ample amount of electrolytes, it makes it substantially easier to sustain all sorts of fitness routines.
This is because your muscles and nerve endings will be more capable of powerfully firing for longer periods of time. And on top of supporting muscle contraction and fatigue, electrolytes also support muscle relaxation—which is very important for preventing injuries and cramping.
3. Supporting Heart Health
A lot of people don’t realize this, but your brain is constantly transmitting electrical impulses between your heart and your entire body—and these impulses essentially tell your muscles to relax and flex. When you exercise, your body must speed up these electrical impulses—which is why your heartrate will naturally increase to cope with ongoing physical demands.
Electrolytes go a very long way to support your cardiovascular health, because they support your heart’s overall rhythm and functionality. This essentially means that electrolytes help blood flow efficiency to your lungs, muscles and brain.
4. Regulating Blood Pressure
Fitness enthusiasts can increase their exercise capacity when they maintain optimal blood pressure levels, and it’s normal to be confused about how electrolytes impact blood pressure.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that electrolytes support your blood volume by decreasing your blood flow resistance, which means more oxygen can be delivered to your muscles during intense workouts.
5. Stabilizing Your Blood’s pH Levels
Your blood’s pH levels are crucial for your everyday bodily processes, including things like protein functionality, transporting oxygen, and various other chemical reactions that are essential for your health.
Electrolytes do a wonderful job of maintaining your blood’s base and acidity balance, which in turn gives you more energy and allows you to recover more effectively after your workouts.
Our Nutrition Coaches Are Here To Help You Maximize The Dietary Benefits Of Electrolytes!
Proper electrolyte intake is often easier said than done, and you’ll need to maintain a healthy, balanced diet to ensure that you’re fully prepared for each workout session.
Isotonic sports drinks and electrolyte supplements are also very useful for your workout preparations and recoveries, and our nutrition coaches are here to help you manage the proper intake of these drinks and supplements so that your body remains replenished and at optimal electrolyte levels.
We look forward to seeing you at the gym!