So, what’s an electrolyte? An electrolyte is a mineral that contains an electric charge found in all bodily fluids. Examples are sodium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, phosphorus and magnesium. They are absolutely essential to nerve, cardiac and other muscle function. Deficiency can cause fatigue, spasm, cramps and pain. Normally, these are easily obtained from a well-balanced diet but lost in high amounts in our sweat while we exercise. Sweat tastes salty because of the sodium lost from the body.

Summer is nearly here and high intensity exercise in hot weather can easily make you sweat away two to four pounds (one to two quarts) in an hour. Body temperature rises and performance declines. Fluid replacement is critical. If fluids are not consumed at regular intervals, the result may be heat stroke, organ damage, dehydration and possibly death. To avoid the health hazards and maintain peak performance during high intensity exercise like in a tennis match, soccer, basketball or track and field, you should drink before, during and after a grueling workout. Ideally, weigh yourself before and afterwards to give yourself a good idea of how much water weight is lost, then consume at least two cups of water for each pound lost. The body is made up of about a 60 percent water and needs to be fully hydrated to perform optimally. When the outside temperature or humidity is especially high, the body requires even more water because it must work harder to cool itself.

Inadequate fluid replacement may be at the bottom of recurrent or chronic injuries as well as poor athletic performance results. A sub-optimal water intake will affect your speed, endurance and strength. It can also cause dizziness, nausea and muscle

cramps. Even a slight water deficit (about one liter) slows blood circulation and reduces concentration.

Never depend on your thirst to decide on when to drink fluids. Thirst is a poor indicator of dehydration because you may already be dehydrated before the body’s thirst mechanism kicks in. It’s best to start drinking well before you feel thirsty and keep drinking even after your thirst is quenched if you are going to exercise strenuously for hours. The best beverage is pure spring water. It’s the quickest fix for preventing or reversing dehydration and the beverage that is the easiest for the body to absorb. Sweetened sport drinks are more slowly absorbed and are only of value to elite athletes who push themselves well beyond the activity levels of the average weekend warrior.

Long stretches of vigorous exercise (over 1 and one half hours) repeated day after day, as in tournaments, will require replacement of not only water but carbohydrates and the electrolytes sodium, magnesium and potassium. Although the average North American diet will contain adequate amounts of these electrolytes, sport drinks or diluted fruit juices are acceptable beverages in addition to plain water between matches or games.

How do you know if you’re drinking enough? Spot check your urine often to see how much fluid you really need. Urine should be as light or pale colored as possible and more frequent than when sedentary, to be on the safe side. The darker the urine, the more dehydration. The darker or more yellow the urine, the more water you need to replenish your fluid reserves.

You’re going to the gym to sweat buckets on a near daily basis or perhaps you’re a frequent jogger. What drink do you consume to maintain hydration? A fluorescent colored sports drinks? Electrolyte beverage? A high caffeine soft drink? Sugar water? Glucose polymer? Fruit juice? Or just plain water? What about a few glasses of beer after exercise to rehydrate or, at least, relieve the many aches and pains from exercise?

By Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, M.D., M.Sc.

HYDRATIONSIMPLIFIED& When to Drink What

BASIC GUIDELINES

• Drink plenty of water (1 – 2 cups) at least 15 minutes before an event, even if you are not thirsty. Never restrict fluids during exercise.

• During the event, drink eight – twelve ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes regardless of thirst. Cold drinks are best because they are absorbed most rapidly.

• Do not drink anything with caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, cola drinks) or alcohol, both of which are thought to have a dehydrating effect.

• Carbonated drinks of any kind should be avoided since these tend to make you feel full, making it difficult to drink enough.

• Drink 2 cups of water for every pound lost during the match. After exercise, choose carbohydrate-rich fluids such as juices that replace both water losses and muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrate) to enhance recovery.

BEER AFTER VIGOROUS EXERCISE?

You may have seen the odd hockey, baseball, soccer or tennis player drinking beer after a game. Is this really a good way to replenish water and electrolytes lost during vigorous exercise? Beer’s alcohol content has a dehydrating effect that causes you to lose even more valuable fluids at a time you should be replacing them. If you simply must drink beer, first quench your thirst with 2 or 3 large glasses of water. Ideally, have something to eat so that you aren’t drinking on an empty stomach. Enjoying a beer or two in moderation in this fashion will at least help you wind down from the stress of a heavy exercise.

The American College of Sports Medicine has made the following general guidelines for vigorous exercise as experienced during athletic competition:

SPORTS DRINKS

In all sincerity, the best thing I can say about sports drinks on the market is that they are a good scam. If you have hypoglycemia or diabetes, these drinks can make your blood sugar levels dangerously worse. Some of these drinks use artificial sweeteners for sweetening, which have been associated with higher incidences of obesity and diabetes.

The number one ingredient of most of the sports drinks on the market is high fructose corn syrup. In fact, some sport drinks contain 14 grams of this simple disease causing sugar for every 8 ounces. Since a regular bottle contains 32 ounces, you are actually getting 56 grams of sugar.

These drinks also contain brominated vegetable oil for unspecified reasons. Bromine displaces iodine and can be toxic to the thyroid gland. Gatorade and Powerade contain food colorings and other potentially harmful additives. The dyes have been linked to hyperactivity and ADHD in children. Although these mainstream sports drinks do replace lost electrolytes, as discussed earlier, there are far healthier ways to do that.

I often see people drinking sports drinks while playing video games or watching TV. This could be dangerous. A single bottle of Gatorade contains 800 mg of sodium. This represents

one third of the amount you should be consuming daily. Excess sodium intake has been associated with high blood pressure and stroke risk.

Weight gain could be one of the common consequences of drinking too many artificial sports drinks. One 32-ounce bottle has 200 calories, so, adding that into a sedentary person’s lifestyle is just asking for more fat storage and weight gain.

REFERENCESAmerica College of Sports Medicine Guidelines on Hydrationhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9303999

Compare Sports Drinkshttps://www.cwu.edu/sports-nutrition/compare-sports-drinks

Gatorade is Craphttp://amomwalksintoabarre.blogspot.ca/2014/08/the-scam-that-is-gatorade-and-other.html

BMJ papers on Gatoradehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2658915/

Effects of too much Gatoradehttp://www.livestrong.com/article/68710-effects-much-gatorade/

Ideal contents of a sports drinkhttps://nakapro.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Pro-E2-Brochure-Final.pdf

Bottled Water with More Than 24,000 Chemicalshttp://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/03/28/study-finds-more-than-24000-chemicals-in-bottled-water-which-ones-are-harming-you/?mc_cid=a0e2314681&mc_eid=c86a80be55

THE IDEAL SPORTS AND ENERGY DRINK

If you really need to use a hydration/energy drink what should be in that mixture? Those that need such a drink are athletes who sweat enough to warrant hydration beyond water. Examples include long distance runners, hockey, football, soccer, basketball, tennis and other racket players as well as anyone sweating excessively during and after exercise.

People who use saunas on a regular basis usually will also need to replace nutrients and electrolytes lost during the detoxification process. This should help prevent muscle pain, spasms and the fatigue that can occur after sauna therapies.

The drink must not contain sugar in any form. Stevia is permissible because it has no impact on insulin and subsequent blood sugar or fat levels.

The mixture should definitely contain potassium and sodium. Other electrolytes and minerals that could be included are

calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, chromium, chloride and phosphorus because these are often lost during vigorous exercise.

Ginseng, hawthorn, beet root, vitamins B3, B6, B 12 and C could also be in the mixture for maintaining energy and providing antioxidants that guard against damage to muscles and other organs stressed by heavy exercise. For a good description of what each and every nutrient or electrolyte does, see: https://nakapro.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Pro-E2-Brochure-Final.pdf

So, keep moving and live longer but don’t forget to replace nutrients and electrolytes if you’re going to

do lots of exercise and sports.

DRINK CHO TYPE CHO GRAMS CALORIES SODIUM POTASSIUM

Artificialsport drink #1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Popularcola soft drink

Orange Juice

Sucrose, Glucose& Fructose

High fructose corn syrup, & Glucose Polymers

(Maltodextrins)

High fructose corn syrup

Glucose, Glucose polymers, & Fructose

High fructose corn syrup , Glucose, Fructose &

Sucrose

High fructose corn syrup

Sucrose, Fructose &Glucose

14

19

19

16

16

27

25

50

70

70

66

60

103

104

119

55

55

25

55

6-9

6

30

30

55

50

25

0

436

• Help enhance physical performance• Helps in energy metabolism & tissue formation• Helps to form red blood cells• Helps to maintain proper muscle function,

including the heart muscle• Helps to maintain normal electrolyte balance

Formulated by Zoltan P. Rona, MD, MSc

CAFFEINEFREE

Actual powder appearance

when blended with water

ElevateYOUR PERFORMANCE

TRISTAR