Importance of Electrolytes and Carbs When Exercising

As always, greetings from our teams at our Austin Chiropractic Clinic, Bee Cave Chiropractic Clinic, Buda Chiropractic Clinic, and our newest Chiropractic Clinic in Dripping Springs! Those of you who faithfully follow our chiropractic health blog know that we systematically author works intended to promote physical and mental wellbeing. If you missed last week’s chiropractic health blog about safe lifting, go take a look at it. VERY practical advice is given there. Very good practical advice continues today regarding the importance of electrolytes and carbohydrates to all of you central Texas fitness enthusiasts.

Do electrolytes really make a difference when exercising? Is carb-loading actually a “thing”? The answer is YES to both of those questions. Welcome back, Austin community to TexStar Chiropractic’s Health Blog. We’re continuing with September’s theme of Injury Prevention. Proper hydration and fuel for your body is important when it comes to injury prevention. Dr. Claudia Zavala from our Belterra Clinic in Dripping Springs explains why electrolytes and carbs are an important part of injury prevention.

What are electrolytes and why do they help?

Electrolytes are essential minerals, like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. They are important because you can think of them as “gate-keepers” for our cells and are present in nearly every cell of the body.

Sodium helps cells maintain the proper amount of fluid.

Potassium is critical to your heart function (which is important when exercising!)

Magnesium is used in the production of ATP, your body’s energy source

Why do we need more electrolytes when exercising?

When we exercise rigorously, we sweat. We lose electrolytes through our sweat so hydrating with electrolytes is replenishing our body’s store of these minerals. If our sodium, potassium, or magnesium levels drop, you might experience muscle weakness, muscle cramping, fatigue, or dehydration.

What is an electrolyte drink you recommend?

So many electrolyte drinks on the market are full of artificial colors and sweeteners. You’re doing your body as much harm as good when consuming these toxic substances. There are some great, simple electrolyte replacements that come in a drink or powder form. One we love here at TexStar is LMNT.

What’s the scoop with carb-loading?

Carb-loading is when an athlete eats a large meal (or meals) of carbs the day or two before a big race (like a marathon, ironman, cycling tour, etc.). In the body, carbohydrates are converted into glycogen, which your body uses for energy. Glycogen plays an important role in the production of ATP, your body’s energy source. While we’re not saying to go eat a plate of pasta before hitting the gym, it is important to know that carbs are not bad and they do play an important role in energy production necessary for exercising.

Dr. Claudia Zavala shares these tips in this short video.

We are always eager and excited to talk about hydration and nutrition, especially for exercise. If you have any questions from today’s blog, please reach out to any of our chiropractic clinic in SW Austin, our chiropractic clinic in Bee Cave, our chiropractic clinic in Belterra in Dripping Springs, or our chiropractic clinic in Buda.