Whether you exercise regularly or not, your body needs electrolytes. These are necessary minerals that help us balance fluid in our bodies, muscle movement, and brain function. These minerals are potassium, magnesium, chlorine, calcium, and salt. Making sure your body has plenty of electrolytes to stay charged is essential, even with the cooler weather this season.

Electrolytes help get your nerves active and regulate the water flow into your cells, which makes muscles contract as they should, awakens you, keeps blood pressure in check, and of course, keeps you hydrated. You probably already know that in summer, you’ve got to stay hydrated. But in fall and even winter, many people slack off, thinking because they’re not sweating from the heat that it’s not necessary.

Electrolytes and Exercise

While it’s undoubtedly true that the more active you are, like during your workout or while running a marathon, you need more electrolytes. However, even at rest, we need electrolytes to keep our cells functioning. During exercise, electrolytes are deposited into your sweat glands. Thanks to osmosis, water comes along with those electrolytes. When your glands fill up, they release this salty mixture onto the outer layer of your skin. That salty water mixture evaporates, keeping you cooler. This is precisely why that overly-perky aerobics instructor is always telling you not to forget to drink your water. If you lose too many electrolytes, it can be harmful to your body in many ways.

Getting Your Electrolytes

Before you reach for that electrolyte-infused beverage of your choice, you might be surprised to learn that you’re actually getting plenty of electrolytes through your regular diet. Assuming you're eating healthy, that is. Water is the best thing you can use for hydrating your body and flushing away the yuck.

Try eating more plant-based foods. Bananas, dates, coconuts, avocados, raisins, spinach, lentils, potatoes, and beans are all foods that are great for keeping your electrolyte supply full. And this is going to sound crazy, but add sea salt to your meals after you’ve been intensely sweating. It benefits your hydration, believe it or not. Just make sure you’re drinking adequate amounts of water, and keep the dose minimal.

As always, healthy eating and plenty of water are the essential elements you need to keep your body healthy and thriving. Now that you know more about electrolytes, you can focus on eating foods that will naturally supply them, sprinkle on a little sea salt, and keep chugging that water for your optimum health and replenishment.