18/11/2025
💧 Let’s talk hydration and electrolytes!
Electrolytes are minerals — like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride — that help your body stay balanced. They keep your muscles contracting, heart beating, and nerves firing.
Most of us need plain water to fill the majority of our hydration. However there are some key factors that most of you may not have considered. If you take medications that dispose of water, or electrolytes like potassium or sodium you may be very dehyrataed regarldess of how much you eat or drink. Diuretics such as Lasix for your heart, or Spirinolcatone for hormones (PCOS) and even laxatives. Then for us all struggling in the heat, if you are a salty sweater, or even just sweating sweating buckets in the heat or playing sport, these conditions also create changes in electrolytes and fluid balance. So is water the best option to rehydrate? No... . In these cases, rehydration solutions and even skim milk is far more hydrating then water.
🧂 When to consider electrolytes:
• Sport or movement lasting longer than 90 minutes (in heat)
• Heavy sweating (humid days, outdoor jobs, intense sport) and crusty white shirt stains
• Illness causing vomiting or diarrhoea and constipation.
🥤 What to drink/eat options:
• Meals rich in fruit or vegetables are naturally electrolyte rich (so a fruit/veg smoothie or a stir-fry or salad are great hydrators)
• Choccy Milk 250ml (keep it small unless you are recovering from sport >90mins)
• Oral rehydration solutions (like Hydralyte, VOOST, ELEMENT, SODII) can help
For personalised hydration plans, book in to see our Sports Dietitian Jack or Peta to discuss your needs.
