Tag: #electrolytes

Electrolyte Replacement for Hot Weather Workouts

May 21, 2022 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

I am a sweater. That is, I perspire during hot weather and especially during work outs… a lot!

Replenishing electrolytes is a real thing for me or I can easily become overheated, dizzy and feeling very weird. During summer bike rides I’ve had to take advantage of the SAG truck more than once when the temperatures go higher than 85 degrees and I’m pushing myself.

If this is not a problem for you, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about, but if you bike ride or run during super hot weather and tend to sweat a lot like me, you may be very aware of the need for electrolyte replacement.

Many of the organized rides and runs that I’ve done in years past have rest stops with water and gatorade, as well as orange slices, ice and more to help combat the high temps.

The other day I took my second bike ride of the year. It was 18 miles with a breakfast break in between. But by the time we actually got back it was around 12:30 and well over 80 degrees. We had been gone for a bit over 3 hours.

I knew it was going to be hot so I tried something new for electrolyte replacement. I usually go through 2 water bottles when I do the Kent loop. This time I added about a half cup of Pedialyte to one of my 24 ounce water bottles. It didn’t taste too bad (like if I had had straight Gatorade) but helped to replace some of the electrolytes I sweated off.

I’m definitely going to try this again.
Here are some photos of the package:

While the package says not to add water or dilute, I am using this as a preventative measure, not as a fix.

I got this in an email from LMNT from Runner’s World, so this was designed specifically for working out and replacing electrolytes. Have not tried it. Let me know if you have and what you thought.

What do you do to replace your electrolytes during hot weather and long workouts?

Nuun Sport for Replenishing Electrolytes

December 12, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I first picked up a tube of Nuun Sport tablets at the expo for the Akron Marathon. Boy, do I enjoy a good race expo. You can see what’s new in the world of running and choose from a variety of products. Lots of gadgets and accessories galore. There’s also lots of energy gels and electrolyte options. I bought a tube of Nuun tablets from one of the exhibitors, along with some other goodies.

Nuun tablets are meant to be dissolved in your water bottle. They’re similar to Alka Seltzer in that you drop a tablet into water and it fizzes until eventually the tablet dissolves.

It can take a while for the tablet to completely dissolve. I find myself sometimes shaking the bottle, trying to hurry up the whole process. Come on, I want to drink this now! I suppose this means I should do a better job of planning how to use Nuun for replenishing electrolytes.

Nuun Sport

What do I like about Nuun? I like that it’s fairly light. The flavors aren’t overpowering. It also doesn’t have a lot of sugar or sugar replacements in it. The Nuun website says that they were the first to separate electrolyte from carbohydrate replenishment. Therefore, all of the sugars that are in Gatorade or PowerAde aren’t part of Nuun.

I also like the fact that the tablets are scored so they can be cut in half. That way you can slide the tablet into a small opening or only use half a tablet.

Nuun comes in a small tube with a screw on lid. That makes it easily transportable and it can fit in a pocket or running belt. I did throw one into my purse and the lid eventually worked its way off and I had to rummage around to find the tablets and then throw them away. I do not want to eat anything that’s been bouncing around inside my purse.

Flavors

Apparently, this product is a success because their list of flavors continue to grow. Some of the flavors they currently sell are:

Cherry Limeade
Citrus Fruit
Fresh Lime
Fruit Punch
Grape
Lemon Lime
Mango Orange
Orange
Strawberry Lemonade
Tri-Berry
Tropical
Watermelon
Wild Berry

Ingredients

Each electrolyte tablet contains the following: sodium (360 mg), potassium (100 mg), magnesium (25 mg), calcium (13 mg), vitamin c (38 mg) and sugar (1g).

Serving Size: 1 tablet in 16 oz. of water

Potassium: 150 milligrams

Sodium: 300 milligrams

Calories Per Serving: 15

Notice that some of the flavors have caffeine in them.

You can check the website for ways to buy Nuun. I noticed that it’s available around me at running stores and grocery stores, including Walmart. So, they shouldn’t be too hard to locate. Plus, you can order them directly from the Nuun website: www.nuunlife.com.

I like Nuun Sport. The flavors that I’ve tried are light and refreshing. They don’t have that cloying taste of the sweeter drinks. Also, I like that it doesn’t have a lot of sugar or carbs. That way I can separate my need to replenish electrolytes and to refuel with carbs.

I do like the tube that they come in, even if it did fall apart in my purse. Lesson learned, don’t carry it around for weeks without using it.

There’s so many flavors that I’m going to have to try a new one.

Do you use Nuun Sport? What do you think? Let me know by commenting here or on our Facebook page. You can email me at jill@becomingelli.com.

Gatorade for Replenishing Electrolytes

October 24, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

It’s hard to have a discussion about replacing electrolytes without mentioning Gatorade. I wrote about electrolytes recently and thought I’d talk about some of the different sports drinks on the market. Gatorade created the market for sports drinks. It was created by a team of scientists to help the football coach at University of Florida. His athletes were training in the Florida heat and were struggling. Gatorade was created and the football players performed better.

Gatorade is now owned by Pepsi and is one of its best selling products.

Ingredients

According to the Gatorade website, the following ingredients are in the lemon lime flavored regular (original) Gatorade:

WATER, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, CITRIC ACID, SALT, SODIUM CITRATE,MONOPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, GUM ARABIC, GLYCEROL ESTER OF ROSIN,NATURAL FLAVOR, YELLOW 5

Here are the nutritional facts for a 20 ounce (591 mL) bottle:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Bottle (591 mL)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 140

Total Fat 0g

Sodium 270mg

Potassium 75mg

Total Carbohydrate 36g

Sugars 34g

Protein 0g

Benefits of Gatorade

Most of us don’t need to worry about replacing electrolytes until we’ve been exercising for an extended period of time or are pushing ourselves at a higher pace. Of course, there’s also heat to consider. Basically, when you’re doing some heavy sweating, you probably should consider a sports drink.

Also, the sugar in the drink provides a boost in energy. It’s a quick and easy way to get sugar back into your body.

Gatorade answers both of these functions: energy and replenishing electrolytes.

Downside to Gatorade

Some people dislike Gatorade due to its use of sugar and food dyes. If you’re trying to follow a whole foods diet, this is probably not the product for you. Food dyes can be problematic for people.

The amount of sugar is pretty close to a serving of cola. So, it may have more sugar than you need for your sports performance.

To be fair, you’re going to find sugar of some kind in almost every sports drink. That’s part of drinking something to boost your energy.

Gatorade does also make a non-sugar version. It replaces the sugar with an artificial sweetener.

I think the downside is really that people think this is a healthy drink so they drink it as a regular beverage or they overestimate their activity and think they need this when a glass of water would probably be sufficient.

Parents give Gatorade to their children, thinking it’s a healthier choice but it’s not really all that different than giving them a soda.

Conclusion

I just cruised through the lunchroom where I work and noted that there are four different kinds of Gatorade being sold in the cooler, next to cans of soda, juices, and coffee-based drinks. I can tell you that nobody here is working up that big of a sweat.

If you need to replenish electrolytes, go ahead and have a Gatorade. It’s served at many races at the water stations. If you can be selective, there are other sports drinks or mixes that have fewer food dyes but Gatorade will certainly do what it’s intended for.

Chris wrote about using Gatorade when she’s biking or running in the heat. It works for her. What works for you? Do you have a favorite sports drink? Please let us know here on the website or on the Becoming Elli Facebook page. Feel free to email me at Jill@BecomingElli.com.

Replenishing Electrolytes

September 12, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

It seems like people are always advising me to work on replenishing electrolytes after I go for a long run or do any physical activity in the heat of summer.

People are also always advising us to stay hydrated but not to drink too much water without replenishing electrolytes.

Lots of advice for sure but what does it mean?

What are Electrolytes?

I knew that electrolytes are minerals in our bodies, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium but that’s about the extent of my knowledge. (I really should have taken more science courses in college.)

Here’s a great definition of electrolytes that I found on Medline Plus, which is a website of health information put out by the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. They are in your blood, urine, tissues, and other body fluids. Electrolytes are important because they help

Balance the amount of water in your body
Balance your body’s acid/base (pH) level
Move nutrients into your cells
Move wastes out of your cells
Make sure that your nerves, muscles, the heart, and the brain work the way they should

Sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and magnesium are all electrolytes. You get them from the foods you eat and the fluids you drink.

Hydration Fluctuations

A number of reasons can explain changing levels of electrolytes. You can have too little water in your body, which is called dehydration. Too much water in your body is called overhydration. Either situation affects your electrolytes. This can happen from taking certain kinds of medicines, nausea, diarrhea, sweating, and illness.

When I exercise intensely or in the heat, I sometimes end up feeling dizzy or faint. Sometimes I just end up feeling sluggish. I find myself thinking, “it feels like I’ve never run before.” I end up replenishing my electrolytes and usually feel much better pretty quickly. Chris talked about different solutions for dealing with heat, including replacing electrolytes.

It’s thought that when we get cramps, particularly in our legs and often at night, it’s our bodies alerting us that we need to work on replenishing electrolytes. Other things can cause this, of course, but it’s worth trying if you’re dealing with this. Cramps can be so painful, they’re impossible to ignore.

Replenishing electrolytes

If you’re struggling with electrolyte problems due to health issues or medication, you should talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

If you’re dealing with this because you’ve been working out, you can use a few different methods for replenishing your electrolytes.

First of all, food is your best source:

Bananas are a great source of potassium.
Dairy products are well known for their levels of calcium.
Green leafy vegetables can replace both magnesium and potassium.
Coconut water is considered to be a good source of electrolytes

Basically, if you eat a well-rounded diet of natural, whole foods, your body will get what it needs.

However, when you’re out running or biking or really pushing yourself in the gym, you may need to supplement with something. Don’t just drink lots of water because you can end up overhydrated which basically dilutes your electrolytes. You need to make sure you get what your body needs.

There are lots of ways to supplement. Probably the best known is drinking a sports drink like GatorAde or PowerAde. There are electrolyte mixes you can add to water and there are tablets you can dissolve in your mouth.

I’ll discuss some of these supplements in future posts so stay tuned!

In the meantime, let me know if you have problems with fluctuating electrolytes and what you do to resolve the problem. Leave a comment below or leave a phone message at 330-970-6662 or send an email to Jill@BecomingElli.com.