Most athletes consider the balance of electrolytes when thinking about hydration and recovery, especially over endurance events.  But are salt tablets and electrolytes really necessary?

Before we answer this question, let's recap on electrolytes and the role they perform in the body.

Sodium is the key electrolyte responsible for controlling extracellular fluid balance while potassium controls the fluid within the cells. Potassium also helps with muscle contraction and supports blood pressure. Electrolytes such as potassium can also impact iron absorption. Potassium (along with other nutrients such as zinc and B vitamins) is essential for hydrochloric acid (HCL) production in your stomach. Without adequate HCL a condition known as achlorhydria can develop where your ability to absorb dietary iron and the successful coordination of iron uptake, export, and iron storage as ferritin is reduced.  This can lead to iron deficiency and anaemia as explained in this article.

Magnesium is well known for its role in nerve function, heartbeat regulation, energy metabolism, and blood sugar stabilisation. Your muscles, brain and heart rely heavily on magnesium to do their job. As an electrolyte, magnesium sits both inside and outside cells and binds to water and interacts with other electrolytes. Calcium is well known for its role in bone health, heart and nerve function and less recognised as an electrolyte. Calcium sits within both intracellular and extracellular spaces. Other electrolytes include phosphates, chloride and bicarbonates.

Sodium and chloride are the two electrolytes lost in large quantities through sweat. The losses of these electrolytes are regulated in response to the balance of sodium consumed in the diet and recent sweat and urine losses.

So is the ingestion of electrolytes or salt tablets really necessary to enhance performance? Well yes and no. Confusing hey!

Why you should consider electrolytes.

Research suggests sodium added to drinks before exercise may improve the amount of that fluid retained, rather than lost through urination and potentially reduce the risk of dehydration. Sodium can also improve the flavour of drinks and encourage consumption when consumed during exercise. This could be handy in warmer conditions and when exercising for two or more hours. Sodium during exercise can also reduce the potential risk of developing hyponatraemia. It is suggested sodium can assist with fluid and carbohydrate absorption from the gut.  If you are a heavy sweater with above average sodium losses (>1g/L) identified through sweat testing, then you may benefit from sodium ingestion during exercise if you are exercising for several hours.

The good news is that most sports drinks and gels contain sodium so it is unlikely the majority of athletes will need to take on additional electrolytes in the form of tablets. Ultra runners and ironman participants may be an exception to this rule.

Keep in mind the body has large stores of sodium that are released into the bloodstream as needed so it is unlikely you will ever run out of sodium unless severely dehydrated. The key reason why sodium is included in sports products is to balance out fluid intake and losses and maintain an appropriate osmolality, while improving the taste and increasing the palatability and consumption of the product, rather than preventing an actual sodium deficit.

And what about cramping?

Cramping is caused by multiple factors that can lead to changes in the nerves that control muscle contraction and muscle fatigue. Therefore, it is a little simplistic to suggest a single nutrient such as sodium or magnesium will prevent cramping.  Further scientific research is required to give us clear guidance around cramp prevention. Many athletes do respond well to magnesium and a suitable hydration protocol.

Don't forget you can also obtain electrolytes through wholefoods nutrition.

• Sodium is easily found in most processed foods such as crackers, sardines, smoked foods, pickled foods, roasted seeds and nuts, cheeses, table salt, and sauces.
• Magnesium is found in pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, black beans, peanuts, oats, brown rice, and yogurt.
• Potassium-rich foods include potatoes, sweet potato, dried apricots and raisins, beans, lentils, spinach, broccoli, avocado, and bananas.

So before you reach for more artificial sports products consider if this is really necessary and if there are alternative ways you can provide your body with the electrolytes it requires.

Need specific guidance? We would be delighted to help.

About the Author: Kate Smyth is a Sports naturopath, nutritionist and female-centric running coach. She is the founder of the Athlete Sanctuary- a holistic healthcare clinic for athletes of all levels and sporting codes. Kate has a thirst for knowledge with two bachelor's and a Master’s degree under her belt. She has been involved in sports for many decades and competed for Australia in the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games marathons with a personal best time of 2 hours 28 minutes.

References

Miller KC. et al. An Evidence-Based Review of the Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Prevention of Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps. J Athl Train. 2022; 57(1):5-15.

Lau WY. et al. Water intake after dehydration makes muscles more susceptible to cramp but electrolytes reverse that effect. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019; 5(1):e000478.

Maughan RJ. & Shirreffs SM. Muscle Cramping During Exercise: Causes, Solutions, and Questions Remaining. Sports Med.2019; 49(Suppl2):115-124.

With any goal or challenge, a holistic approach to race preparation can help. It is never too early to start planning. Training for a key event is no different, and you may just be surprised at what else you learn about yourself along the way.

As discussed in an episode of “On Purchase” podcast (with Jay Shetty), growth comes through the process of becoming uncomfortable in situations which challenge and stretch us. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is a skill everyone needs to work at in order to achieve any goal. It isn’t the goal that satisfies our thirst necessarily but rather what we become as a person in the process of working towards a goal.

Jay suggests being too comfortable or casual may lead to complacency and “crashing”. The opposite is also true.

Building curiosity around new experiences and challenges that take you out of your comfort zone can lead to competence. When speaking to retired elite athletes, 99% suggest it was building the competence in their chosen sport, inner strength and resilience that paved the way to a fulfilling career, not the medals or accolades they received for their achievements.

 “You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.”  Zig Ziglar.

In our Holistic Health and Performance Women’s Mentoring Program we ask the hard questions - what are you willing to consider that will take you out of your comfort zone? What are you curious about but haven’t acted on just yet?

There’s so much more that goes into race preparation, and the earlier you can start the better. A holistic approach ensures all the building blocks are in place ahead of time.

So, what do you need to think about? A holistic approach will consider your overall mental and physical health, work/life balance, nutrition, training and much more. Let’s break it down:

Start by examining your nutrition

This is a great place to start. Time to be self-reflective.

Through our diet, we are either feeding inflammation or fighting it. We are also either eating for performance or inhibiting performance through poor food choices.  There are some great online food diaries to help you track your nutritional profile such as My Fitness Pal, or Cronometer. Some of the key questions to ask yourself are:

1. Are you getting enough quality protein, carbohydrates, and fats in your diet?
2. Is your overall energy intake adequate for your training requirements?
3. Are you lacking in any food groups e.g. dairy. If so how are you compensating for this?
4. Are you restricting or overeating food intake or lacking overall balance in your diet?
5. Are you taking note of how you feel after consuming different foods? e.g bread makes you feel tired

Work/Life Balance

This is always key. Training for big events can involve a lot of sacrifice, not only for you but for those around you. It takes time and energy, and the physical demands are high. Finding work/life balance can be incredibly tricky - particularly when you’re trying to fit your training and prep around a busy work and family life.

Some key points to help you navigate this and keep stress levels as low as possible include:

• Communicate your goals and plan openly with your family and friends.
• Try to be flexible with your training regime to meet other commitments that you may have.
• Avoid being obsessive with your training and event performance, include flexibility in your mindset and focus on progress over perfection.
• Factor in adequate downtime for yourself. This may be as simple as rest time, an hour with a good book or some time with friends.

Work on preventing illness

Our immune system is equipped with a multi-tiered response to do battle with foreign invaders 24/7 but a poor diet, stress and overtraining can significantly reduce our immune system's ability to fight infection. This leads to more frequent colds and missed training and racing opportunities. There are many ways to keep your immune system robust.

(Read our blog > How Robust is Your Immunity?)

Manage your mental health

This one is vital. Training for a big event can becoming all consuming, especially when you’re juggling multiple demands of your time. Stress can be compounded if you’re dealing with unexpected disruptions to your training plan, such as illness or injury.

It’s so important for you to master ways to manage the stresses of each of the elements of your life – including your training regime. Some days that means accepting you simply can't do everything you'd like to in a day.

Build resilience

Let's get real - some days will be hard. Working on building resilience and perseverance are key elements of meeting those long, sometimes hard, training sessions – and the road to meeting your goals.

“Resiliency is the ability to face setbacks, failures, crises, and pain (both emotional and physical) with confidence and courage. It is the ability to quickly bounce back from our trials and tragedies. It’s the quality that keeps us from giving up, even when the going gets rough. It’s the ability to stick with something through thick and thin and the power to overcome the temptation to bail out when things stop being easy.” (from “Building Your Resiliency”)

Perseverance is the continued and steadfast effort towards a goal despite difficulties and setbacks. Resilience is what makes you pick yourself up; perseverance is what keeps you moving forward.

Are you ready to take on a holistic approach to performance?

Our Women's Holistic Health and Performance Mentoring Program designed for endurance runners encompasses all of the elements that align for success – whether it be your next main event or life. Want to know more about this? I’d be really happy to have a chat with you in readiness for the second half of the year.

About the Author: Kate Smyth is a Sports naturopath, nutritionist and female-centric running coach. She is the founder of the Athlete Sanctuary- a holistic healthcare clinic for athletes of all levels and sporting codes. Kate has a thirst for knowledge with two bachelor's and a Master’s degree under her belt. She has been involved in sports for many decades and competed for Australia in the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games marathons with a personal best time of 2 hours 28 minutes.