Did you know that when you sweat, you don’t just lose water, you also lose electrolytes?  Why is that important?

Sodium, potassium, chloride & magnesium are vitally important for regulating and distributing fluid to all of your body’s cells – without them helping out, you can’t get the proper hydration you need, especially during an intense workout.

I used to struggle with drinking water during exercise, whether it was working out at the gym, running or swimming. Since I would get a stitch from the water bouncing around in my stomach, I would avoid drinking water altogether – which resulted in cramps and not exercising to full capacity as my body wasn’t functioning as effectively as it could have.  

No surprises there!

Since the weather here in Perth is starting to warm up and people are beginning or ramping up their training for events – triathlons, ironman, cycling, cricket or swimming, the effects of dehydration and importance of keeping hydrated is a relevant topic!

So why is hydration so crucial?

Our bodies are made up of 60% water – every cell requires it to function and our need for water is higher than the need for any other nutrient in our body! It controls body temperature and prevents dehydration when we sweat, and assists with the movement and absorption of nutrients around the body – including the removal of waste products. Fatigue is the first symptom of dehydration… a loss of greater than 2% of your body weight can reduce your capacity to do muscular work. At 7% you will collapse.

Endurance athletes can easily lose 1.5 liters of fluid each hour of activity, so if you are an athlete you need to be aware of your circumstances and plan accordingly- meaning adequate hydration prior to activity, as well as during.

But when you are training and needing extra hydration, how do you make sure your body is actually getting the hydration and replenishing the electrolytes it needs?

For most people, the answer is sports drinks. That’s what they have been created for right? They must be good for you!

Yes and no.

Electrolyte supplements can support effective hydration, particularly as the weather warms up and we start to sweat more and/or increase training. No matter what you are doing, it’s important to be hydrated. When you’re exercising and sweating, it’s even more important to make sure you’re well hydrated, and that you’re replacing electrolytes lost in perspiration.

When electrolytes are depleted, these vital minerals are unable to support muscle and nerve cell function. Because exercising can flush electrolytes from the body, hydrating with a product that contains various electrolytes can help support proper cell function, which supports a range of physiological functions.

But – are they actually good for you?

The downside of most sports drinks…

• Most sports drinks are actually low in sodium, high in sugar or contain artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours which are all highly acidic and damaging to your gut health
• If exercise is moderate, sports drinks are counterproductive, particularly if they are high in sugar – some drinks contain up to 35g sugar (7 teaspoons)
• The sports drink manufacturing companies are a million dollar market; so their focus is to try to make you think you that you will have a psychological advantage when competing if you consume their product – especially kids.

As you know, I research everything I put into my body – so I very quickly realised that sports drinks were a definite no-go for me and my family!

Fun Fact: Sugary sports drinks have been shown to lead to tooth decay… very common in elite athletes.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that Arbonne had an alternative – no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, low sugar, low calorie, and actually formulated for absorption – not just based on the number of electrolytes consumed. There is no point congratulating yourself on how many minerals you have managed to fit in one drink if the person drinking can’t actually absorb them!

“Complete Hydration is one of those wonderful products that helps to hydrate the inside of the cell.  So we’re really looking at cellular hydration, which what that means is you’re going to be able to hydrate more effectively, more efficiently than if you were just drinking water or if you were drinking one of the really horrible for you, not so healthy sports drinks that you see out there in the marketplace that are loaded with lots of other artificial ingredients.”  Dr Deanna Osborne

Complete Hydration is more quickly absorbed than water so it doesn’t gurgle around in my stomach or cause a stitch – so now when I exercise I am getting enough hydration to feel like I’m giving it my best!

What’s in it?

• A blend of 6 different electrolytes which support hydration, including; sodium, potassium and magnesium, all of which we lose when we sweat
• Ribose which replenishes ATP which increases energy
• 20 calories; 3g of sugars
• Ginseng and turmeric which are good for circulation and joints
• Vitamins A, C, E: Antioxidants help fight free radicals created during exercise and also help support the immune system, which can be stressed by physical activity. 


How does it help?

• Re-hydrates the cells and muscles to promote proper function
• Increases endurance and prevents dehydration
• Formulated to hydrate before and after workout 

• Helps replace fluids and electrolytes lost during activity 


So you can see why I made the switch!

If you or someone you know is a gym-junkie, sports person or in training for anything from cycling and running to swimming, contact me to get 20% off Complete Hydration to try it for yourself!