The benefits of electrolytes for active individuals

Did you know that an athlete should, on average, drink 4 litres of water if she is a woman and 5.7 litres if he is a man? You have probably heard of the hydration rule – drink at least two litres of water to keep your body hydrated – but that is not true for athletes. 

Water and drinks with electrolytes are among athletes’ favourite choices. But what are the actual benefits of electrolytes, and what do electrolytes do?

Read on to learn what happens when your body is low on electrolytes and why it may be a good idea to mix electrolyte powder in your drinks. 

Are electrolytes good for you?

Lifting weights, running and generally staying active have endless health benefits. But by sweating and working out, you lose a lot more than just fat, toxins, and unwanted weight. You also lose large amounts of electrolytes. 

Electrolytes are essential minerals that produce electric charge, keeping your nerves, muscles, blood pressure, and other systems working properly. 

The most important minerals are: 

• Sodium – responsible for body fluid management, and blood pressure regulation, and is essential for muscle and nerve function 
• Chloride – responsible for electrolyte, acidity, and alkalinity balance 
• Potassium – regulates muscle contractions, bone health, heart health, and blood pressure 
• Magnesium – promotes the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, electrolyte balance, healthy heartbeat rhythm, blood glucose balance, and contributes to your immune system 
• Calcium – essential for your teeth and bones, nerve impulses, muscle movement and blood clotting 
• Phosphate – strengthens teeth and bones, and promotes tissue repair and growth 
• Bicarbonate – responsible for healthy pH maintenance and heart function regulation

Health benefits of electrolytes for athletes  

By staying active and growing your muscle mass, you also lose a lot of fluids. Your body consists of 40% fluids inside the cells and 20% fluids outside the cells. The electrolyte’s job is to keep those liquids in balance. 

Many athletes consume electrolyte powder or drinks with electrolytes to support their bodies during stressful times, such as hardcore training. But why are electrolytes so important in the athletic world?

• Every athlete’s top priority is hydration. To ensure proper rehydration after losing so much sweat, taking electrolyte supplements is the smartest solution. Sodium, potassium, and chloride ease water movement through the body and control body fluids inside and outside of cells. 
• The main goal of working out is muscle growth and electrolytes play an essential part in muscle function. They help relax the muscles and contract properly, especially during training. 
• Drinks with electrolytes can help you improve athletic performance and boost endurance because they maintain proper fluid balance. 
• Rest days are reserved for muscle recovery. Electrolytes help rebuild damaged tissue and promote better recovery as they fuel your body during recharging. 

What can happen to athletes who experience electrolyte imbalance? 

Recognising electrolyte imbalance symptoms 

By not drinking enough fluid and eating a proper meal after hard training, you starve your body of minerals and much-needed electrolytes.

When you sweat, you lose much more fluid than you would otherwise. On an average day, you lose around 2 to 3 litres of body fluid by breathing, through your skin, and during urination. Working out and sweating speed up the process of water (and electrolytes) leaving your body. 

If you don’t replace the lost minerals and lose too much of them, it can lead to electrolyte imbalance symptoms. You can feel them as low energy levels, reduced physical and mental performance, muscle cramps, brain fog and irritability, and even irregular heartbeat and nausea. 

How to fix an electrolyte imbalance?  

The first step to rebalancing your electrolytes is to identify why the imbalance developed in the first place. Ask yourself a few important questions: Did you drink enough liquid after working out? Did you consume enough sodium after sweating it out? Do you drink enough water throughout the day? 

It all comes back to monitoring and adjusting your diet. As an athlete, your priority is to consume enough carbohydrates to produce energy for training and then feed your muscles with an adequate amount of protein. The mistake you’re probably making is forgetting your minerals. 

How much electrolytes can you get from food?

Vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, and dairy contain high amounts of electrolytes because they are packed with vitamins and minerals. These are the best electrolyte-rich food sources and how much electrolytes you can get from them: 

• Almonds, Brazil nuts, and baby spinach are rich in magnesium, which helps with energy production, bone health, and good sleep. However, a calorie-dense handful of Brazil nuts provides only 38% of the daily needed amount of magnesium. 
• Bananas, potatoes, and beans are potassium sources in food. Potassium has a role in body fluid balance, muscle contractions, and blood pressure. An average portion of these foods gets you around 15% of the daily recommended potassium amount. 
• Seaweed, table salt, and raw carrots are packed with chloride that promotes electrolyte balance in your body. Eating raw carrots after a workout gets you 7% of your daily needed amount of chloride, but table salt provides 97% of needed chloride (although if you’re not careful you can easily consume too much salt and that could lead to headaches, bloating, and swelling). 
• Milk, cheese, and yoghurt are full of calcium which promotes teeth and bone health. By eating one yoghurt you consume only 21% of your daily calcium need.

The fastest way to restore electrolytes 

To avoid remaking your dietary plans and possible overeating, the fastest way to get all the benefits of electrolytes is by considering electrolyte supplements. 

A water bottle is a must when training at the gym, hiking or running a long distance. Mixing in a sachet of electrolyte powder can enrich the plain water and fuel your body with electrolytes, giving you the strength to go the extra mile. 

But there's something to be aware of with popular sports drinks, that you can buy in every store. If you look at the back of the bottle or sachet, you quickly realise that they are full of sugar and calories or don’t have enough minerals in their formula. 

At XTRAZE, we are proud to be the best gym buddy for many athletes. That's why we racked our brains and put some muscle into our Active Electrolytes formula to produce a supplement that truly stands out on the market. 

Active Electrolytes from XTRAZE 

Our formula contains 2290 mg of electrolytes, with more potassium and magnesium than any other electrolyte powder on the market. 

By providing a high percentage of the daily recommended amount of essential minerals, you can put fatigue and muscle spasms aside and keep training towards your goals. 

An athletic body also needs more vitamins (not only protein, carbs, and minerals), so we included vitamin C and B-complex vitamins in the formula – not a low or high percentage, but 100% of the vitamins you need daily! 
Vitamin C boosts immunity during and after intense physical exercise, reduces tiredness and fatigue, and promotes normal energy-yielding metabolism. 
B-complex vitamins are important in cell health, energy levels, digestion, and appetite. 

Active Electrolytes are also a low-calorie supplement because our electrolyte powder is made without sugar – it's sweetened with stevia, a natural sweetener. To make it even more delicious and refreshing, we added a natural lemon flavour to satisfy your taste buds after a sweaty exercise. 

Packed in practical sachets, perfect to take at any exercise session, you can leave electrolyte balance and its symptoms in the past and fuel your body with the strength and energy it needs.

Start today and achieve your gym goals faster, stronger, and healthier!