[tigerchic89]

I was recently suggested by someone that I might want to look into taking salt tablets. I work out 5-6 days a week, for 60-120 min. I drink a ton of water, and sweat a decnt amount. Often, I feel horrible later in the day. I thought my feeling bad was related to getting my HR up too high (bonking), but I'm wondering if supplementing with salt during a workout might help me feel better.

Anyone BTDT???

[BoopRN]

Try drinking a sports drink to replenish the electrolytes you've lost after working out. I say pass on the salt tablets

[PhotoChick]

I wouldn't take salt tablets. If you really feel that it's an electrolyte issue, then look into one of the low cal sports drinks instead. It'll replace more than just the salt part of the whole equation.

.

[mazza]

Tigerchic - I think that the post-exercise electrolyte/mineral balance issue goes farther than just salt. Though, I do see where you're coming from.

There's mineral packets that you can get which have some of the essential minerals that you need to replenish after potentially de-mineralising things such as sweating a lot, working out and drinking heaps of water. There's also powder drinks you can buy and take as a post - exercise recovery tool. (I'm not talking stuff you'd buy at any shop with heaps of unneeded added crap and sugar, etc - I just mean the sort of thing you could buy at a health food store or pharmacy.)

In Australia, this sort of thing is made by a practitioner - only company called Metagenics.

http://www.metagenics.com.au/shop/in...TOKEN=42254174


I'm not sure of which US company would provide these sorts of products - but a Google search would probably quickly pop up a few.

There's also colloidal minerals (though they taste gross, they're good).

They may also sell similar products in health food stores etc.

PhotoChick - The problem with low cal sports drinks is that even though they often contain the appropriate minerals in the right amounts, they do sometimes have nasty artificial sweeteners, preservatives like sodium benzoate (a carcinogen) and colourings. If you were alluding to a specific kind of low cal drink that doesn't contain these then:

A) my bad, haven't heard of any that aren't unhealthy and taste good/are efficient/easily accessible. and if you do have the name/brand that makes them;
B) please give me the name of said drink, as I'd be interested to try.

Happy re-mineralising. =]

[Meg]

Mazza, I like Zenergize Hydrate tablets for electrolyte replenishment. You drop one into your water bottle and it dissolves. They're sweetened with stevia, are two calories each, and don't have artifical colors, flavors, or preservatives (or sodium benzoate). I've tried the lemon-lime flavor but heard that orange is good too.

Tigerchic, I'm a personal trainer and have never heard of taking salt tablets after working out. I've be really cautious about trying that without more research. It would be a lot safer to try the sports drink ideas in this thread, I think.

[mazza]

Thanks for the link, Meg! That products looks pretty damn good.
I'm so glad Stevia is finally really starting to worm itself into more and more of our products, pushing away the nasty alternatives.

[tigerchic89]

Thank you for the advice. I avoid artificial sweeteners, so Propel and things like that are out for me. Good to know about sodium benzoate too. I also avoid HFCS and try to limit sugar, espec in beverages, so I'd rather not add 150 calories just to get the salt/electrolytes. Meg, those fizzy tablets look perfect, adn I wil look into those.

Yesterday afternoon, I drank a v8. It's pretty high in sodium, 690 in 12 oz. I've always liked v8, adn I may try to drink those daily this week to see if that helps.

[MBN]

Another thing to consider besides electrolyte depletion is just simple fuel depletion. If you are working out at a high level for 2 hours, you may just be running out of energy. Although we are trying to minimize calorie intake, you still need enough food to keep your energy level going. So you may want to also take a look at how you are eating before, during, and after your exercise periods.

I know if I'm doing a long run of 2-3 hours, I need to pop a little sugar (I like clif bloks) during the run, otherwise I bonk. For me just 60-90 calories of sugar/electrolytes can make the difference between finishing strong, or dragging myself to the end, desperately needing a nap ....

I'm not big on the salt tablet idea either. I think it would be too easy to overshoot what you need. Sports drinks and products are formulated for that purpose.

[nelie]

Do you use stevia? If so, I'd recommend Ultima Replenisher.
http://www.ultimareplenisher.com/

I just bought it recently because I have been doing long, intense workouts and started getting cramps in my legs or just crampy feelings.