After a hard workout, many people reach for a sports drink or electrolyte powder. The packaging promises better hydration, faster recovery, and more energy. But is all of that really necessary after a 45-minute workout, or would water and regular food be enough?
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are minerals that exist in body fluids as electrically charged particles, or ions. They help regulate fluid balance and support the transmission of nerve signals and muscle function.
The main electrolytes are sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Electrolytes themselves do not provide energy or have the same effects as caffeine or carbohydrates. They simply help the body function normally.
What happens during a workout?
When
sweating, a person loses both water and electrolytes, primarily sodium and chloride. The extent of this loss depends on the duration and intensity of the workout, the air temperature, and how much a person sweats.
For example, a person working out for an hour in a cool gym may lose relatively little fluid and minerals. During a two-hour run in hot weather, however, the loss can be significantly greater.
Electrolyte deficiency is often considered the cause of muscle cramps, but cramps can also result from muscle fatigue, unfamiliar exertion, and heat. Therefore, not every cramp automatically means that a person needs an electrolyte drink.
How can you assess your own fluid loss and electrolyte needs?
However, the duration of a workout alone does not tell the whole story, as two people can sweat very differently during the same level of exertion. You can roughly estimate your fluid loss by stepping on a scale before and after your workout. If your body weight is one kilogram less after a workout, your body has lost approximately one liter of fluid. You should also take into account the amount of water you drank during the workout.
A change in body weight indicates approximate fluid loss, but does not indicate how many electrolytes were lost through sweat. Signs of significant sodium loss may include white salt stains on dark workout clothes, a stinging sensation in the eyes from sweat, or a salty film left on the skin after a workout. These signs do not indicate the exact amount of sodium, but they may suggest that during long, sweaty workouts, you should consider replenishing sodium in addition to water.
Can you get electrolytes from water and food?
Regular tap water and mineral water may contain calcium, magnesium, sodium, and other minerals, but the amounts depend on the water’s source.
In fact, however, we get most of our electrolytes from food, not from water. We get sodium and chloride mainly from table salt and salty foods, potassium from potatoes, fruits, and vegetables, dairy products, and meat; calcium from dairy products; and magnesium from nuts, seeds, whole-grain products, and legumes. After a regular workout, water and a meal usually provide the body with both the necessary fluids and minerals.
Is more water always better?
Drinking water is essential, but during long endurance workouts, more isn’t always better. If a person drinks a lot of plain water over several hours but doesn’t replace the sodium lost through sweat, the sodium level in the blood can drop too low. This is called hyponatremia.
This situation is rare during a typical gym workout. A greater risk arises during long runs, hikes, and other endurance activities where a person drinks more water over several consecutive hours than they lose through sweat. Therefore, during prolonged exercise, you should monitor both your water and sodium intake, but avoid forcing yourself to drink more than your body needs.
Do you need an electrolyte supplement?
Most people who exercise under normal conditions for less than 90 minutes are unlikely to lose enough fluid and electrolytes to require a special sports drink. An electrolyte drink can be beneficial during long endurance workouts, in hot weather, or when sweating profusely.
It’s important to check what’s actually being sold under the name “sports drink.” A good example is ICONFIT Isotonic, which is sold in Estonia. It is an isotonic sports drink powder designed primarily to provide fluids, electrolytes, and energy during prolonged exercise.
One 40-gram serving is mixed with 500 milliliters of water. The serving provides 147 kilocalories and contains 35 grams of carbohydrates, of which 19.1 grams are sugars. This is equivalent to approximately five teaspoons of sugar. Thus, carbohydrates make up nearly 88% of the entire serving.
At first glance, this may seem like a very large amount, but this is an isotonic sports drink, not a pure electrolyte supplement. The prepared drink contains about seven grams of carbohydrates per 100 milliliters. This falls within the typical 6–8% carbohydrate range for sports drinks and is intended to provide energy during prolonged exercise. The question, therefore, is not whether sugar is accidentally present in the product, but whether the drinker needs that energy.
In terms of electrolytes, one serving provides 60 milligrams of calcium, 28.1 milligrams of magnesium, and 149.5 milligrams of potassium. Each serving corresponds to 7.5% of an adult’s daily reference intake. Roughly the same amount of potassium can be obtained from less than half a banana, and a similar amount of magnesium from a small handful of seeds.
The drink contains 0.25 grams of salt, which corresponds to approximately 100 milligrams of sodium. Sodium is one of the most important electrolytes to replenish during a long, sweaty workout. By way of comparison, an athlete who sweats profusely can lose about 500–700 milligrams of sodium during a single hour of intense training, though actual loss varies greatly from person to person.
The product also contains vitamins C and B, but these are not electrolytes and do not play a major role in restoring fluid balance. More importantly, along with a relatively small amount of electrolytes, the consumer receives 35 grams of carbohydrates.
During a long run, bike ride, or other endurance training, these carbohydrates can be beneficial because they provide energy to continue the activity. However, after a typical 45- to 60-minute workout, it’s usually not necessary to consume nearly 150 extra calories and almost five teaspoons of sugar just to get a small amount of electrolytes. In such cases, water and a regular meal serve the same purpose more simply.
What to Look for on the Packaging?
When choosing an electrolyte product, the words “hydration” or “recovery” on the front of the package aren’t enough. First, check the serving size and how much water you need to add to it. Next, check the amounts of sodium (or salt), carbohydrates, and sugars.
The amount of sodium isn’t always listed separately on the packaging. Instead, the nutritional information table may list the amount of salt. These figures are not the same: 0.25 grams of salt contains approximately 0.1 grams, or 100 milligrams, of sodium.
If a beverage is high in carbohydrates, it is intended not only to replenish fluids but also to provide energy. This can be beneficial during prolonged exercise, but after a short workout, you may not need the extra energy. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the percentage of the daily reference intake listed on the package does not indicate what proportion of the electrolytes lost through sweat by a specific person the drink will replenish.
Electrolytes Based on Exercise Intensity
Imagine two athletes. One finishes a 45-minute strength training session, while the other completes a two-hour run in hot weather. For the first athlete, water and a proper meal are usually sufficient. For the second athlete, however, the carbohydrates, fluids, and sodium in a sports drink may be a practical aid.
An electrolyte drink is therefore neither necessary nor pointless in and of itself. Its value depends on the situation. Before buying a drink, it’s worth considering both the duration of the workout and the amount of sweating, as well as checking the back of the package. If your workout doesn’t require extra carbohydrates and you can replenish lost minerals with your next meal, a glass of water may still be the most sensible alternative to that colorful powder.
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