This situation may be familiar to you, or perhaps you know someone who always has white marks on their clothing and is vey wet with sweat after they workout. What does this mean and why is it important that you pay attention to this?

The white marks on clothing is salt and electrolytes. Some people lose more than others, while some people will sweat more. This is perfectly normal and there is not much you can do about it other than make sure you are rehydration properly.

Electrolytes are salts and minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate. They are essential to the body as they conduct electrical impulses which are required to control cell membrane stability and for muscle contractions. Without them, the cells in your body wouldn’t be able to perform essential functions. The nervous, cardiac, digestive and muscular systems and athletic performance all depend on an adequate electrolyte balance. which that If you appear to be losing more salt, I would recommend the use of a sports drink due to its electrolyte content.

Although it is not 100% proven, studies have indicated that cramp is one of the main signs of electrolyte loss. To help prevent this from happening you should consider the use of a sports drink if you are a salty sweater or if you are taking part in exercise over one hour in duration.

Shop bought sports drinks can be quite expensive if you use them a lot, so why not make your own? The recipe is what I used in the above video and is very effective for rehydration and replacing electrolyte losses, not to mention a lot cheaper!

Homemade Isotonic Drink (Makes 1 Litre)

500ml fresh orange juice

500ml water

1/4 tsp salt

If you would like to learn more about your hydration and how to optimise your sports performance check out my consultancy packages