Electrolytes Are Key In Summer Hydration.
Hello!
Staying hydrated is vital to maintaining good health, especially on these hot summer days. It’s also critical to ensure that your electrolytes remain balanced. Long gone are the days when it was only necessary for elite athletes to worry about maintaining healthy levels of electrolytes.
What are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are essential minerals like sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. They are vital to many critical bodily functions, including regulating muscle and nerve function and playing a pivotal role in hydration. We lose electrolytes in sweat, urine, and other bodily fluids.
Symptoms of imbalances in electrolyte levels:
Fatigue.
Nausea and vomiting.
Headaches.
Fluid retention.
Muscle spasms, twitching, weakness and cramping.
Numbness or tingling in fingers and toes.
Individuals with severe deficiencies or specific underlying medical problems may experience more severe symptoms, such as damage to the heart or nervous system, seizures, or even death without replenishment and medical treatment.
Heavy sweaters are at risk of electrolyte deficiencies while working out or performing physical labour under hot conditions. If you have a stomach bug and experience diarrhea and vomiting, it’s essential to replenish your electrolytes.
How To Up Your Electrolyte Intake
Please do not drink Gatorade. It might replenish your electrolytes, but it is an unhealthy option because a 20-oz bottle (2.5 cups) of Gatorade contains 34 grams (almost 3 tablespoons) of sugar. That’s unbelievable! It also contains unhealthy synthetic dyes that give the drinks their bright colours. I credit Gatorade’s marketing department because, for years, I thought drinking Gatorade was the only way to replenish electrolyte loss.
According to Dr. Chirag Shah, a prominent emergency medicine physician, electrolytes are easily accessed through our diet:
“If you eat plenty of plant-based foods—like bananas, potatoes, leafy greens, and seeds as Mother Nature intended, you shouldn’t have much trouble meeting your needs.”
You can easily keep your electrolytes happy by adding 1/4 teaspoon of high-quality Sea or Himalayan salts to 1 litre of water. These salts contain 60 trace minerals. Lemons are high in many essential minerals, and adding them to water makes a refreshing drink.
When you wake up, you are probably a bit dehydrated. Starting your day with a large glass of water with a sprinkle of healthy salt ensures you start your day hydrated and with balanced electrolytes. I do this before I have my morning coffee.
How much water should you drink every day?
Our body is 50-70% water, so it's evident that we need to stay hydrated for survival and optimal health. You should drink at least 2 litres of water daily throughout the year and more in the summer or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Dehydration and electrolyte depletion can lead to heat stroke. Heat stroke can be sneaky; to avoid it, you must be diligent about how much you are in the sun and how well you stay hydrated.
Take delight in being outdoors and take good care of yourself.
Anita
Sources:
2. Are You Getting Enough Electrolytes?
DISCLAIMER; The information provided on County Yoga Loft’s website blog is for general health care informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith. However, it should not replace consultation or advice from a physician and/or other healthcare practitioners. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site is solely at your own risk.