Electrolytes, Explored
Lately, we’ve been getting a ton of questions about electrolytes. What are they? Why do we need them? How do they work with our bodies to keep them running smoothly? As our customers become more and more educated about health and wellness, they become more engaged in that age-old dialogue about how best to care for the human body—and we couldn’t be happier!
To answer these questions, and to help the LIV fam on the journey to total wellness optimization, we’re sharing some pertinent info about electrolytes. Be prepared for a blast from the past, all the way back to that high school bio course!
It’s Electric!
When you first hear the term “electrolytes,” it may bring to mind tiny lightning bolts swimming around inside your body. Turns out, that’s pretty much what they are! Electrolytes are nutrients that carry positive and negative charges. See, your body is kind of like a magnificent, endlessly complex machine, and electrolytes are like the electricity that helps it function. The electrolytes sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphate and bicarbonate facilitate vital bodily processes, such as:
Regulating the flow of water into and out of cells
Activating nerve impulses
Contracting and relaxing our muscles
Balancing the pH levels of our body
Clotting our blood when it’s needed
Building new tissue
So yeah. Kind of important.
The right balance of electrolytes is crucial to health and vitality, which is why Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier, containing roughly 3 times the electrolytes of traditional sports drinks, is so helpful at keeping your body in tip-top shape.
Electrolyte Loss
Electrolytes leave the body through sweat and other bodily fluids, which is why it’s so important to re-up when it’s hot out, after you’ve done an intense workout, or after you’ve gotten sick (read our Stomach Flu & Food Poisoning Guide here). Mild electrolyte loss can cause weakness, fatigue, and muscle cramping. Severe electrolyte loss can include twitching and convulsions, as you lose control of your muscles and your nervous system goes haywire. Not pretty. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to replenish your electrolytes after an intense workout.
Daily Dose of Hydration
But electrolytes don’t just leave your body after exercise—you’re losing them all the time! Whether or not you can feel it, you are constantly losing moisture and salts through sweat and breathing, and not many people are doing much about it. In fact, studies show that 3 out of 4 Americans are dehydrated. Lots of us walk around feeling not-quite-right (achy, tired, anxious—you know the deal) and have no idea that it’s because we’re sorely lacking the water and electrolytes our bodies need!
That’s where LIV comes in. Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier is a natural and quick way to hydrate and re-up on electrolytes. One stick poured into water can provide 2-3 times more hydration than water alone, making it the ideal solution to daily dehydration, electrolyte loss after exercise, and depletion during illness. Try some today, and thank those tiny lightning bolts for a job well done!
Did we miss anything? If you’ve got your own nugget of info about our friends the electrolytes, let us know in the comments below!
Written by: Samantha Colicchio, Liquid I.V. Brand Storyteller
