Are you actually hydrated?
Are you actually hydrated? These 3 easy recipes are creative ways to make sure you are staying hydrated and getting enough electrolytes absorbed into your body. Find out what electrolytes are and how to make homemade hydration solutions!Â
A little-known fact about me, I am fascinated with electrolytes. Â Although that may be a weird thing to be fascinated about, I gotta be me.
This fascination came about in my early 20’s when I was training for a bodybuilding show. Bodybuilding is already tough, having to exercise for hours daily, maintaining a strict regimen, regularly taking supplements that help improve physical fitness and performance, and more. It takes a lot of effort and commitment.Â
Yeah, that was a thing in my life and so I was carrying around one of those shitty plastic gallon jugs to get my gallon of water in just like I was “supposed to”.
It’s not just bodybuilders that do this, we were told to drink an insane amount of water each day when in reality, were only supposed to drink when we are thirsty which SHOULD be a healthy amount naturally if your electrolytes are in balance.
Case in point: we can drink plain water from gallon jugs and cute Etsy shop cups all we want, but if we’re not consuming proper electrolytes, it’s not sticking around and it’s not hydrating jack in your body.
What are electrolytes exactly?
Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge. They help keep the body’s fluid in balance. Electrolyte minerals are:
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Calcium
A combination of all of these is needed to literally keep that water in your body so it actually hydrates you and since the standard American diet is so poor AND the vegetables we eat may be void of these minerals because the soil is devoid of nutrients, sometimes we need to take matters into our own hands.
Oh, and if you live in the south during the summer, you’ll DEFINITELY benefit from electrolyte supplementation because walking outside for 3 minutes in July will make you sweat just as much as someone running a marathon . . . Am I right?
So how can you get electrolytes without drinking Gatorade?
Luckily there are plenty of things you can do to get proper mineral in to create a proper electrolyte balance. Â Here are my favorites:
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So there you have it, my 3 favorite ways to get electrolytes and why it’s more important than we think!
Valerie Skinner is a Whole30 approved personal chef & recipe developer that bridges the gap between healthy eating and busy lives by providing simple healthy meals and recipes for you and your family.
