Electrolytes and sport
Electrolytes and sport
Are you an athlete and striving for top performance? In sport, electrolytes are essential for making rapid progress and pushing your body to peak performance. Now is the time to get ahead of the competition!
The electrolytes sodium, potassium and magnesium are your ideal supporters!
What electrolytes are there and what are their functions?
Potassium
During physical exertion, the potassium content in your muscle is reduced because potassium has to be released from the muscle cell to activate the muscles. The potassium released triggers important reactions in your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. These changes boost your endurance and performance during training, allowing you to train longer and more intensively. The loss of potassium from the muscle is therefore necessary. However, you should replenish this deficit before your next workout to restore your full performance capacity
Potassium and sodium also play a central role in the transmission of nerve impulses. Together, they ensure that electrical signals are transmitted between nerves and muscles, which is essential for movement control and reflexes.
A lack of potassium can therefore lead to symptoms such as tiredness, muscle weakness and muscle twitching. A balanced potassium level, on the other hand, can help to stabilize your heart rhythm and prevent cramps.
Sodium:
Sodium increases thirst and reduces urine production – this improves your hydration and makes you physically tired later on. Particularly during very long sports sessions such as a marathon, fluid imbalances can occur with a low blood sodium level (hyponatremia). In addition to water, your sweat also consists of various electrolytes, mainly sodium. If you lose a lot of sweat, you will become dehydrated. You should avoid this condition at all costs!
When you are dehydrated, your heart pumps less blood through your body. Your muscles receive less nutrients and oxygen and your performance decreases. This is why sodium supplementation is recommended for sessions lasting longer than two hours or at an elevated ambient temperature. Dehydration of just 2% of your body weight can already significantly reduce your endurance performance. An imbalance in your sodium balance also increases the risk of muscle cramps.
Magnesium:
Magnesium plays a key role in energy metabolism and helps your muscles to always have the energy they need for a good workout. It also supports the build-up of proteins in your muscles, making them bigger and stronger in the long term.
Magnesium increases in the muscle during your workout and reduces the release of calcium. This allows your muscles to relax better, preventing cramps and helping you to perform better for longer.
Would you like to know more about electrolytes?
Then click through the topics on the right.
