Who Needs an Electrolyte Drink Mix?

Electrolytes are essential for your overall well-being throughout all stages of life. Whether you’re a young athlete who consistently trains for races and competitions or someone trying their best to hit the gym two or three times a week, many of us can benefit from an extra boost of electrolytes. 

One of the easiest ways you can replenish these minerals is by drinking beverages with electrolytes. But not all are made equally. It’s important to prioritize options, like N-2 Water, that pack a substantial amount of all-star electrolytes into each serving. 

What Are Electrolytes?

You can think of electrolytes as powerhouse minerals that carry an electric charge. They float through your bloodstream and help your muscles contract. They also help to ensure you stay hydrated by allowing fluids to come in and out of your cells. Since 60% of an adult body is water, you can imagine how big of a role electrolytes play in maintaining proper fluid balance.

There are many electrolytes, however, there are a few that you need to make sure your body functions optimally so you can work out and perform daily activities. You can find these key players in N-2 electrolyte supplements.

Sodium 

Sodium gets a bad reputation, but your body needs it to regulate blood pressure levels. This all-important electrolyte also enables your muscles and nerves to function correctly. In fact, hyponatremia, or low sodium, is one of the most common electrolyte disorders among athletes because it’s primarily excreted through sweat. 

Hyponatremia can cause headaches, confusion, nausea, and bloating, because when there isn’t enough salt in your bloodstream, your cells swell with water. Research suggests that you lose even more sweat as the intensity of your workout increases. You also can lose more salt via sweat as you exercise or work in hot temperatures.  

Magnesium 

This electrolyte wears a lot of hats in your body, including constructing protein and bone in your body and regulating muscle and nerve function. Magnesium helps muscles relax after they contract, so without enough of it, your muscles can cramp.

N-2 Water uses magnesium citrate sourced from seawater as this form is both highly soluble and bioavailable, meaning your body gets to absorb and use it quickly after you consume it.

Calcium

Your body needs calcium to build strong bones as a child or prepubescent teenager. However, people entering perimenopause, which lasts about eight to 10 years before menopause, are especially susceptible to osteopenia (loss of bone density) and bone fractures. Plus, anyone following a vegan diet can fall short on this important mineral.

Depending on your eating habits or phase of life, your healthcare provider may recommend supplementing with calcium during perimenopause and menopause. N-2 Water includes highly soluble plant-based calcium in its electrolyte drink mix. 

Who Needs Electrolytes?

Almost everyone can benefit from including more electrolytes into their diet, but there are specific groups of people who especially need to be mindful of their intake. These include:

Active Adults of All Ages 

It’s pretty common to see people at the gym sipping on beverages with electrolytes or preworkout powder. Not all electrolyte drink mix supplements contain a healthy dose of magnesium, but adults need 310-420 mg of the mineral daily. Magnesium is essential for keeping blood glucose (sugar) and blood pressure levels in check—two factors that must be regulated as you’re underneath a squat rack or performing heavy deadlifts. 

Magnesium can also help you sleep at night, which is essential for muscle recovery and muscle protein synthesis—these processes are both processes that are imperative for improving your strength. Men, heads-up: Since you're more likely to stay up late, ensuring you get plenty of rest after grueling workouts is important. 

If you find it difficult to get enough magnesium in your diet, you can get 32% of your daily needs via one serving of N-2 Water.

Women Approaching Menopause

Women are far more likely to develop osteoporosis or bone loss (which can develop if osteopenia isn’t managed), than men. In fact, 80% of Americans living with osteoporosis are women. As a woman enters perimenopause, her body begins to produce less estrogen—a vital hormone for regulating bone metabolism. As estrogen levels plummet, calcium absorption goes down too, decreasing your bone mineral density.

N-2 water packs as much as 130 mg of calcium per serving, which satisfies about 10% of the RDA for women. 

Another way to increase bone mineral density? Make sure to include high-impact exercises in your weekly workouts such as circuit training, jump-roping, and running to build bone strength. Weight-bearing exercises such as squats, bench presses, and shoulder presses can all help you maintain strong bones as you age.  

Active Teens

Young athletes know how critical it is to hydrate properly, especially as they train through the summer or unusually warm days in the fall or spring. While teens often consume too much sodium, those who are spending 10+ hours a week training require more sodium than their peers who aren’t nearly as active. In fact, research indicates that people lose anywhere from 460-2,100 mg of sodium through sweat during a workout, depending on duration, intensity, temperatures, and individual factors. So teens who are eating healthy diets to enhance their athletic performance should not shy away from sodium, especially given how essential it is to performance. 

Of course, there is such a thing as consuming too much sodium, which can elevate blood pressure levels and potentially increase your risk of heart health issues later down the line. That’s why N-2 Water electrolyte drink mix products contain 500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per serving, which is enough to help maintain a harmonious electrolyte-to-water balance in the body. N-2 Water contains about half of the sodium of its competitors, making it a low-sodium electrolyte drink by comparison.

How to Get Electrolytes

You can also find all three of these all-star electrolytes in many foods to fill in the nutrient gaps. Here are a few healthy sources they’re particularly rich in.