Electrolytes Drinks and Their Impact on Peak Physical Output

No matter how tough you think you are, you cannot really fight Mother Nature and increase your maximum physical resistance without also investing in ways to rehydrate yourself after intense workout sessions. Everybody reacts differently to physical work, and gym routines. For some, the effects of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance are mostly physical, while others might instead face problems when it comes to concentration. In my case, for example, I get surprisingly light-headed after workouts, and, most of the time, especially after long runs, I get calf cramps, which are agony. 

Drinking more water and paying closer attention to my diet helped, of course. How couldn’t it, after all? But the real benefits, at least when it comes to my maximum physical performance, were mostly visible after investing in electrolytes drinks such as ReVitalise. Electrolytes, as you probably know, are electrically charged minerals that are absolutely vital for maintaining the proper functioning of your body at a cellular level. 

Sodium regulates fluid balance and has a role in nerve signalling. Potassium regulates your heart contractions and has a role in muscle relaxation. Magnesium supports energy production, Calcium is vital for our bones and it also interacts with regulatory proteins in our muscles, while Chloride works alongside Sodium in order to maintain an optimum water content in your cells. A slight deviation from your body’s natural baseline of these electrolytes will lead to side effects that can range from annoying to downright dangerous. We, humans, are naturally born runners, and we have developed a sweating system that’s unparalleled in nature when it comes to efficiency. But it’s actually a bit too efficient, and in some circumstances, it’s possible to lose more electrolytes than we can replenish naturally. 

A Fantastic Way to Increase Your Performance 

The human body is unparalleled when it comes to its efficiency. Our ancestors, before discovering fire, language, agriculture and the chicken nugget, used to hunt prey by simply tiring them out. We were what’s called persistent hunters. We weren’t the strongest, the fastest, or the most agile. But we were intelligent enough to hunt in groups, and we had the endurance to follow prey for tens of kilometres at a time. Granted, your physical output is probably nowhere near the maximum potential of your long-dead ancestors. But, each of us still has the evolutionary traits that made us into the apex beings we are today. 

Why exactly do you think we sweat? After all, it’s not an adaptation that’s entirely common in the mammalian class. We humans, have high-density eccrine sweat glands all over the body, which in turn helps us cool down through evaporation. Outside of intelligence, our body’s sweat gland is probably the most important evolutionary adaptability we have. But sweating can actually be too efficient sometimes. 

We evolved for long-distance, low-intensity running, but nowadays, a significant percentage of our physical activities push our eccrine glands to the limit, and make us lose more electrolytes than we can recoup via diet or water-only hydration. Plus, there’s a limit to the maximum temperatures that can be handled by our bodies. A highly trained acclimatised soldier, for example, could lose as much as two or three litres of sweat per hour. In fact, if your metabolic rate is high and you hydrate yourself accordingly, it is even possible to lose as much as ten litres of sweat per day. 

Electrolytes Drinks and Their Role in Osmosis

You’ve probably heard by now that electrolyte beverages such as ReVitalise are more efficient than plain water when it comes to hydration. But how can this even be possible? Water is water; what can work better than it? Well, it’s more complicated than you might think at first glance. At a cellular level, in the small intestine, there are specific Sodium-dependent glucose cotransporters, whose sole purpose is to move glucose into cells, alongside, you guessed it, Sodium. It’s considered a secondary active transport system for cellular energy generation as it doesn’t make use of ATP directly, but rather on the Sodium gradient. 

More Sodium and Glucose in your preferred electrolytes drinks result in better absorption in the cells. But here’s where things get interesting. Water follows osmosis, and when Sodium and Glucose are transported in your cells via SGLT1, they are followed by water, which moves with them, and thus into your bloodstream. Plain water also triggers this system because it does have traces of electrolytes, but not as dramatically and not as efficiently. The SGLT1 is the reason why too much Sodium in the blood can cause puffiness in some people. The body simply absorbs more water. But, if you sweat a lot, electrolyte beverages such as ReVitalise, which have a high concentration of Sodium, can help you hydrate faster. 

Electrolytes Drinks: Not Just for Workouts 

Sure, the number one reason for investing in electrolyte beverages like ReVitalise has to do with proper hydration and mineral resorption after intense workout regimens. But you don’t just lose fluids when you exercise. Australia is getting hotter and hotter, and the extreme temperatures we all feel in the summertime directly affect our body’s ability to cool itself. Passive sweating is not as problematic as active sweating caused by physical exertion. But during +40-degree Celsius heat? You’ll feel it and chances are you will experience mild dehydration. 

That’s not all, however. Have you ever travelled to an exotic location like Bali and experienced the local cuisine? Well, in that case, maybe you were also lucky enough to be hit with an out-of-this-world food poisoning experience. Vomiting is one of the most surprisingly efficient ways to get yourself dehydrated. And it’s not the only one. Even too much caffeine and alcohol consumption can have a direct effect on your body’s hydration level, thus influencing your blood’s electrolyte baseline. Electrolytes drinks such as ReVitalise can help during long-travel days in which you skip regular meals; they are necessary when recovering from illness, and they can also be helpful if you’re experimenting with intermittent fasting or the Keto diet.