Ever since I started running, all I know is that I need to drink a sh*t ton of electrolytes. But I would like to understand why on a physiological level.
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Basically your body moves water by diffusion/osmosis. In other words, there’s no water “pumps” in your body. Water just moves to where there’s less water or where there’s a higher concentration of something dissolved in water. There are plenty of “pumps” in your body that move salts, this is what your sweat glands do. They pump salt out of your body and water follows it. When that water evaporates, it cools your skin.
When you drink water, you’re only replacing that part of what you sweated out.
Why you need salts (electrolytes) is more complicated and exquisitely beautiful. Your body uses salt to move other molecules around, conduct electricity, store energy.
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