Electrolyte goodness
You know how you get crazy thirsty after eating a high-sodium meal (perhaps like THIS)? So isn’t it kind of confusing that we also need sodium in order to rehydrate after sweating profusely? Hmmm…
Electrolytes!
Electrolytes are lovely little ions that help your body stay hydrated and, no, I do not know why Na+ (sodium) succeeds in making you both thirsty and hydrated. Primary electrolytes include sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The two most often found in special sports drinks (along with lots of sugar and fake coloring) are sodium and potassium.
You know where else you can get sodium and potassium? In your kitchen.
Yep, you can make your own sports drinks and spare yourself the expense and extra unnecessary ingredients. Since I practice hot yoga frequently, I’m constantly concerned about keeping myself hydrated and I know that water alone won’t do it.
Sometimes I buy Smart Water since it contains electrolytes and no other weird stuff or coconut water, which is a natural source of electrolytes. But since that habit is a bit expensive I thought there must be a way to make a hydrating sports drink at home. And there is.
According to this article, a typical sports drink contains about 110 mg of sodium (about 1/20th teaspoon of salt) and 30 mg of potassium (about 2 tbsp lemon juice). Add that to a cup of water and BOOM electrolyte drink.
You can also add other flavorings or sweeteners if you don’t like the taste but I drank mine just like that and thought it was fine–potent lemon water. There are more homemade electrolyte drink ideas here.
I was afraid your homemade drink somehow involved the highlighters in the background.
hahahaha
Thank you for this! I have been searching for great homemade electrolyte recipes and am actually going to try some of these. I am also constantly concerned with how hydrated I am because of Bikram yoga… I am applying for teacher training in the fall and am amping up my game to prepare! So a water supplement is definitely needed.
sodium-potassium pump! i remember that from AP bio. sort of.
about 2 weeks ago i started drinking lemon water every morning. just because i don’t like straight-up water in the morning, but i always wake up thirsty. good to know that i can add some salt and make it a way healthier gatorade! sounds like a hangover cure to me haha
[...] I’m making my own electrolyte drinks at home. I’ve done this before, but this time I tried to replicate the exact electrolyte content of Zico coconut water. I was [...]