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Exercise is one of cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle
When you exercise, you burn calories
And you sweat
Sweat is the body’s way of cooling down
If you inadvertently or even purposely tasted sweat
You would taste salt
That’s because sweat is more than water
It is also potassium, calcium, chloride, sodium, and magnesium
Electrolytes
Unless you replace your lost sweat
Dehydration ensues
We are sixty percent water
Water forms around our cells
In our cells
And it is the bloods lubricant
When we get dehydrated, our blood thickens
Our muscles stop contracting properly
Our body temperature rises and our kidneys work in overdrive
Our performance declines
And we can suffer minor to severe medical complications
Under light exercise in moderate temperature
Drinking water fulfills our hydration needs
Without harming our electrolyte levels
However, when we exercise for longer periods of time
Or more intensely
We risk an electrolyte washout
Our cells communicate through electrical impulses
Water is a great conductor
But the cells need positive and negative charges to talk
Electrolytes act as electrical charges
They allow our brain cells to synapse
Our nerves to react and our muscles to contract
We are useless without electrolytes
We sweat out these electrolytes when we exercise
If we drink water and don’t replace the lost minerals
We have water without a charge
Our cells cannot communicate with each other
Our cells rebel
Our cells get angry
We can become lethargic
We suffer cramps and we get nauseous
Nausea is a real bummer
So what can we do?
If you are exercising for over sixty minutes
Drink a sports beverage beforehand
Look for drinks or powders with carbohydrates made from glucose
Over fructose as is it absorbed quicker
Eating healthy and drinking before and after exercise
Is a great way to avoid dehydration
And enjoy the benefits of your workout
Additionally, drink while exercising if it is intense
Or for longer than one hour
You performance depends on it
More importantly, your brain depends on it