We hear it so often... we need to drink more water to stay hydrated! Absolutely!
But did you know you can actually drink too much plain water that it can be harmful to your health?!
YUP! This is because plain water can flush your electrolytes causing a mineral imbalance in your body where you are actually depleting your minerals. Minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium are often the first to go AND have some serious impacts on how your body works.
The Magic 3: Sodium, Potassium, & Magnesium
Sodium & potassium are the two primary electrolytes in the body that help maintain fluid and PH. They work together in many aspects but specifically to manage the sodium-potassium pump. This pump controls what goes in and out of EVERY CELL in your body. aka it's kind of critical. Without the right balance of sodium and potassium, the sodium-potassium pump doesn't work and can keep important processes from happening in the body.
Without sodium, the human body cannot produce energy, maintain blood pressure, or even regenerate. Salt is especially critical in treating adrenal fatigue (where your adrenal glands are so overworked they aren't functioning properly). Sodium can be lost from sweat, urine, and even just talking so be sure you replenish it through foods, electrolyte supplements, or mineral beverages such as adrenal cocktails or adding mineral drops to your water to help maintain proper balance.
Potassium helps to control muscle function/contractions, blood pressure, digestion, and heartbeat (so quite critical!!) but it also helps the body properly manage sodium. This can be related to why people can't handle proper amounts of sodium, they often need more potassium. Supplementing potassium can be through adding electrolytes, eating foods high in potassium, but also supplementing with magnesium,
Magnesium is included here because it is involved in over 500 different enzyme reactions in the body. I mentioned supplementing with magnesium to help with potassium levels. That's because magnesium protects against potassium loss. Without enough magnesium, potassium levels can't balance out! So even though magnesium isn't considered an electrolyte, it is vital for functioning when it comes to sodium & potassium!
Where to start
There are so many things on the market now for supporting proper hydration so it really is important to do your research and know what the best options for you are. Everyone's hydration needs will be different based on lifestyle, environment, stress, etc. But here are a few great places to start!
Electrolyte Supplements: Be sure to look at the ingredients when purchasing these. You want to make sure it includes the. magic 3 (sodium, potassium, and magnesium). But also be on the lookout for hidden sugars! A really popular brand of electrolytes, Liquid IV, had 2 different kinds of sugar on their ingredient list as the first 2 ingredients!! Yikes! Instead, opt for an option that has fewer added sugars into it. My recommended options are LMNT (get a bonus variety pack with your first order using my link) or Relyte from Redmonds Salt.
Starting your day with hydration! After sleeping for 7-9 hours, your body wakes up already in need of fluids! So when you grab that cup of coffee first thing, which is a diuretic, it's going to drain you of even more fluids. So refill your body first by starting with a glass of water, preferably with some mineral drops or a squeeze of lemon & mineral salt.
Salt your food at home. When cooking, don't be afraid to salt your food. Now I don't mean table salt, which doesn't have the minerals you need, so avoid table salt or iodized salt. But leaning into Himalayan sea salt or mineral salt when cooking at home. Plus it adds flavor!!
Be sure to save this for your reminders for those extra hot or sweaty days when you need that reminder to hydrate PROPERLY!
As always, I'm here to connect if you have any questions
Comentários