Not everyone responds the same way to natural electrolytes. Some people, including me, are more predisposed to see a positive cognitive effect after the ingestion of electrolytes such as magnesium, sodium and calcium, while for others, the effects are simply physical and bound to recovery after an intense workout regimen.
How you’ll feel after taking a dose of the best electrolytes in Australia will depend on your overall exhaustion level, how dehydrated you are, your blood’s base electrolyte levels, and, of course, your mental state in the moment of ingestion.
That said, in the first 15 to 60 minutes after taking electrolytes, most people will start to notice improvements to their mental clarity, will experience a prolonged boost of energy levels and will also start feeling less physically tired. That’s because the main electrolytes that get lost during intense exercise routines, such as potassium, magnesium and sodium, are also the ones that are present in electrolyte powders in the largest quantities. As such, they get replenished a bit faster.
Electrolytes improve ATP (adenosine triphosphate) efficiency and have a role in water absorption in the small intestine, so they can help with quenching thirst and also reduce the body’s natural stress response, thus lowering cortisol levels. But that’s in the first minutes. After a couple of hours, you should also feel your muscles start to relax, the intensity of cramps will be diminished, and the overall soreness you experience after a workout should be reduced.
In fact, natural electrolytes in the form of mixable powders are fantastic pre-workout supplements, as they should lower the chances of hitting the proverbial wall that limits your physical performance.
How it works for me
Here’s the thing with even the best natural electrolytes available in Australia: individual reactions will vary from mine and from those of others nearby. And that’s because our bodies are different and we react to electrolyte supplementation in sometimes unexpected ways. For me, the first time I tried some of the best electrolytes in Australia was after a particularly intense workout session that left me with a racing heart, significant fatigue, and a mental fog that made me unable to concentrate even on the most minute things.
I felt like someone took a cement truck, dumped all its contents on me, and then hit me with the truck for good measure. I knew there and then that I needed to change something in my post-workout hydration methods if I wanted to see progress and not hit a plateau that hinders my physical development. So, I started to look for the best electrolytes available in Australia, and settled on a couple of brands that were recommended on popular forums.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t notice a big difference between brands. But I did, however, seen an immediate effect in my post-workout symptoms. The mental fatigue was gone, muscle soreness was greatly reduced, and I was finally ready to squeeze two workouts per day into my schedule, without fearing for potential cramps during my rest time.
That said, one thing electrolyte supplements didn’t help with was my appetite. After working out, I experience a period of about four hours in which my appetite simply tanks. I thought this would resolve with time, but alas, apparently, it’s common and it’s not something I can change. Everyone is different after all, and we react to supplements in positive but sometimes unexpected ways.
But why do people react differently to electrolytes?
Science actually has an answer for this. You see, our baseline electrolyte status is different depending on internal or external factors that influence our day-to-day living. The best electrolytes on the market can’t supplement your blood’s mineral levels as long as you already have an electrolytes baseline that’s in line with normal values.
In other words, if electrolyte powders work for you, chances are you were already dealing with a minor imbalance. For someone with an electrolyte deficiency, supplementation through natural electrolytes will lead to more energy, a reduction in muscle soreness and a boost in mental clarity. For someone with a balanced electrolyte status, however, the effects will be minimal.
On top of that, not everyone sweats the same during intensive workout sessions. People can lose between 0.5 and 2.5 litres of sweat during a prolonged workout. But while some individuals will only lose a small amount of liquids, others will actually get dehydrated. Two people doing the same exercises can lose two or three times the amount of sodium, even though their previous physical baseline was the same. It all has to do with genetics, heat tolerance and sometimes even the clothes we wear. Plus, of course, how much electrolytes you lose will depend on how fit you are.
Why are electrolyte powders more efficient than having a good meal?
Well, it’s quite simple, actually. Digestion is slower than hydration, and that’s because liquids are immediately absorbed by the small intestine, while food requires, on average, about six hours to pass from our stomach to our digestive tract.
Liquids require no breakdown, are absorbed in a couple of minutes, and enter our blood almost without any real bottlenecks. Meals, however, while efficient in replenishing natural electrolytes, are slower in this regard, and their efficiency is impacted by how much protein you consume and the fibre in your diet.
But that’s only one factor. In reality, electrolyte drinks also take advantage of the SGLT1 membrane protein, which is responsible for the transportation of glucose to cells alongside sodium. At the cellular level, where sodium and glucose are present, osmosis happens, and this is something that can be activated by electrolyte powders.
By containing small amounts of glucose and sodium, electrolyte drinks cause the small intestine to absorb more water than would be the case if you were to simply drink water without added minerals. So, in other words, besides helping you absorb calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium, electrolyte drinks can also help you recover faster after dehydration episodes.