Replenishing electrolytes after a workout

Today I have decided to tackle this particular topic because over the past few weeks I have come to the realization that people don’t really appreciate the importance of electrolytes. Well it’s not really that they don’t appreciate but rather, they don’t know.

One thing that most people know all too well is that hydration is very important and more so after engaging in some sort of exercise. For this reason you will see people drinking litres upon litres of water. You would think that they are on the right track, right? Well not exactly.

 You see, when you exercise you sweat and when that happens, water is not the only thing that your body loses. There are quite a number of other very important elements that exit as well including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Collectively these are known as electrolytes. But what’s all this hullaballoo about electrolytes?

Let’s start with sodium, while a lot of noise has been made about the dangers of this particular element; the reality is that it is very vital. It plays a major role in keeping blood pressure where it needs to be and also supports nerve and muscle function. You need calcium so that your muscles can contract properly while magnesium plays a very important role in keeping body cells healthy. Potassium on the other hand is an energy regulator and also helps in maintaining pH balance.

Simply put, without electrolytes, your body won’t be able to function efficiently. Some of the symptoms of having low electrolyte levels in the body include extreme tiredness, nausea, muscle cramps and even confusion. I am pretty sure you have experienced some or even all of these after one of your workouts and like most people you probably just took a shower, drank water and rested. Well, this can never be enough.

So how do you replenish your electrolyte reserves after a workout? I have seen people drinking sports drinks after a long run or gym workout. While this is a very good idea we need to be realistic; sports drinks simply aren’t cheap. The good news is that this is not the only option that exists. You don’t have to spend a lot of money all in the name of giving your body much needed electrolytes; you can make your own electrolyte drink using common everyday foods or rather fruits.

My electrolyte drink is very simple; lemon squeezed in water. Yes it doesn’t sound like much but trust you me it works like a charm. After a long hard work out, It will quench your thirst like nothing you’ve ever drank before. I discovered this one day after one of my workouts. I had been drinking water for hours but my body just wasn’t getting enough. I had some lemons in the house so I decided to make some lemonade just to see if I could solve the problem. Usually I add a bit of sugar but the moment I cut one lemon and the nice smell hit my nose, I knew immediately that that would not be necessary. So I simply squeezed a few in a glass of water and drank it. The feeling I got after that was simply awesome; I guess one would say it is equivalent to the feeling a junkie gets when he shoots or smokes his favourite drug. Bananas also contain loads of potassium and magnesium so eat one or two after your workout. Apples too will get the job done.

Breaking the wall

As I said not too long ago, I am planning to really kick things up a notch in preparation for the next Nairobi Marathon event. Well, I am not planning any more, I’m already doing it and I have to say things are looking pretty good. If you have ever run a marathon or half-marathon for that matter, I’m sure it came to a point in that race when you felt as if you just couldn’t keep going; that’s called the wall and it is what this post will focus on.

‘The wall’ basically refers to a point where you body runs out of fuel and for most recreational runners this is usually at the two thirds mark for long races. As you might be aware, carbohydrates are what power us on a daily basis and so if your reserves are depleted during a race, every part of your body will try to convince you to stop. So how do you go through this wall? Well, it’s quite simple really, keep your body well-fuelled.

It is recommended that one ingests carbohydrates and electrolytes every 45 to 60 minutes of running. You should however ensure that you go into every race with sufficient reserves so as to avoid hitting the wall too early. The best fuel for your body while running can be found in a sports drink. But not everybody fancies the idea of running around with a bottle in hand so a good alternative will be to have a number of Gummi bears in your pocket. The idea is to consume a few whenever you feel your body is running out.

Carbohydrates will definitely help you keep pushing in those long races but you need to understand that, that is not all you need. Here’s the reality, running long races is not just a physical battle but a mental one as well. What this means is that regardless of how well you trained for the event, there’s still a chance that you will get to that point where every part of your body turns against you; and this is where will power comes in.

You need to be a very strong-willed person to complete a full marathon or even half that distance. In fact some people say that all the training in the world will only take you to the ¾ mark after which, it is up to you and your mind. I have to say that I have experienced this a number of times and since I have only done half-marathons, this mental wall hit me at around the 16-17K mark. At that moment you will have some of the fiercest battles in your mind and if you can’t manage to convince your body to keep going, you’ll simply stop.

Usually you’ll feel your calf muscles and just about every other muscle in your body tighten up, your breathing will become restricted; simply put everything will be working against you. If you are participating in an event, it would be a good idea to run next to someone who is going at your pace, this way your competitive instinct will awaken and trust me this will power you for a good distance. I tried it a few years back and I have to say it was one of the main reasons I was able to comple

Cycling, Running or both

Cycling is an awesome sport, I’m just discovering that or should I say rediscovering. Running too is a great exercise and I can fully attest to that seeing that I have been doing it consistently for the last five years. I do however have to say that as far as the latter is concerned, at least from my experience, there will come a time when you’ll feel that you just need a break.  So a few weeks ago I was contemplating doing just that and replacing it with cycling. My argument was that these two sports used pretty much the same group of muscles and so it was possible for one to replace the other.

Now it is worth noting that one of the main reasons why people feel like they need a break from running is because the sport tends to cause injuries especially if you don’t get enough rest between runs among other things; I had come to this point. My patellar tendons were always in pain and I was really beginning to have second thoughts about running.

Enter cycling; as I said last week, I bought a bike not too long ago and so I can’t really claim to be anything close to an expert cyclist. What I can confidently say however is that cycling was exactly what I needed to get out of my fitness plateau. Here’s what happened; this last Friday, I decided to go for my normal run after having taken a two-week break. Two weeks before I remember very well having run about 7 KM and this had been the case for quite a while. During my two-week break, I had cycled approximately 110 KM with quite a number of hills in there. So last Friday when I decided to go for my run I was able to do 9.2KM and I have to say at the end I was feeling much stronger than I usually did after finishing those 7k runs.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that cycling was what did the trick. In fact I could have run even further had it not been for the fact that I was constrained of time. And I am not exaggerating here; those few weeks I have been cycling have really done wonders for my knee. The pain has significantly subsided and boy oh boy do I feel great.

So if you are wondering whether to take up cycling or running; my advice is simple, go for both; you simply won’t regret it. Cycling will improve your running and vice versa. Over the next few weeks, God willing, I plan to really kick things up a notch as far as both sports are concerned as I prepare for the Nairobi marathon in October.