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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Let’s give this a shot. Have you ever made lemonade from a mix? If you pour the mix in a glass and only add a little water, it stays pretty clumpy right? But once you add enough water, all the powder seems to disappear in the water because it dissolves. If you add too much water, you dilute it and it doesn’t taste as good. So there must be a balance of things to achieve your goal of a tasty drink. No clumps but not too much water.
Your blood is similar in a way that it works best when there is a good balance of water and the ions dissolved within it (electrolytes). If you just drink water, you will dilute all the electrolytes in your blood too much that they can not do what they are supposed to. The opposite is also true where you may be stranded in the ocean and start drinking salt water in desperation. If this manages to enter your blood, it will be much saltier than what you usually have which is a problem.
If you want to know more about what electrolytes are actually doing in the body, that is another question that we can get into. But for now just know that your blood is not just water. It is a solution made of water that dissolves electrolytes (among many other things) and exercise causes a disruption to this balance. Specifically exercise can cause you to lose electrolytes in the sweat as well as urine so you need to replenish them. Exercise can also cause you to lose water and you need to replenish that as well. It’s best to get both of these things in a nice refreshing bottle of glacier freeze Gatorade 🙂
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