Electrolytes: Which Ones, How Much, When
The electrolyte market is full of marketing copy. Sticks, scoops, gels, gummies, hot pink labels. Most are sugar plus pinch-amounts of sodium.
Here is what your body actually loses and what to replace.
What electrolytes do
Electrolytes are mineral ions that carry electrical charge. They regulate fluid balance, nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and blood pH. Four matter for training:
- Sodium (Na+), primary extracellular electrolyte. Lost in sweat at 800 to 2,000 mg per liter, depending on the person.
- Potassium (K+), primary intracellular electrolyte. Lost in sweat at 150 to 300 mg per liter.
- Magnesium (Mg2+), co-factor for ATP production, muscle contraction, nerve function. Lost at small amounts in sweat but more commonly under-consumed in the diet.
- Chloride (Cl-), pairs with sodium for fluid balance.
When you lose more than ~2% of bodyweight in sweat without replacing fluid and minerals, performance drops measurably (lower power output, slower reaction time, higher perceived effort).
How much you actually lose
A 160-pound athlete sweating moderately for a 1-hour session loses roughly:
- 1 liter of fluid
- 800 to 1,500 mg sodium
- 200 mg potassium
- 30 mg magnesium
A hot-environment endurance athlete (CrossFit competition, marathon, hot yoga) can double those numbers.
The standard sports drink miss
The average grocery-store sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade) contains roughly 110 mg sodium per 8 oz and 30 mg potassium. That is a fraction of what you lose in an hour of training. The added sugar makes it taste better but does not solve the mineral problem.
Concentrated electrolyte products (LMNT, Ion+, hydration sticks) ship 800 to 1,200 mg sodium per stick precisely because the standard sports drink dose is too low.
When electrolytes actually matter
In order of evidence:
- Endurance training over 60 minutes. Anything over an hour benefits from a real electrolyte dose, especially in heat.
- Hot weather training. Sweat rate doubles, mineral loss doubles, water alone causes hyponatremia (low sodium) on long efforts.
- Sauna, hot yoga, hot environments. Same physiology as endurance.
- High-volume strength athletes. Multiple training sessions a week with crampy hamstrings or calves often respond to a real sodium dose.
- Low-carb / keto. Carb depletion causes sodium loss through the kidneys. Most keto-related "keto flu" is sodium deficiency.
When they don't matter as much
- Single 45-minute gym session in air-conditioned room. Water plus a normal-sodium diet is usually enough.
- Maintenance days with no training. Adding a stick a day is not harmful but rarely needed.
Magnesium specifically
Magnesium is the electrolyte most people are deficient in regardless of training. Roughly 50% of US adults consume less than the RDA (310-420 mg/day). Symptoms of low magnesium include muscle cramps, poor sleep, fatigue, irregular heartbeat.
The most absorbable forms are magnesium glycinate (for sleep and recovery) and magnesium citrate (for general supplementation). Magnesium oxide is cheap but poorly absorbed.
Daily dose target: 200 to 400 mg elemental magnesium, taken with food or before bed.
How Valenco does electrolytes
Ion Select Electrolytes ships 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium glycinate per stick. Zero sugar, stackable with water or your existing intra-workout. Built for the use cases above: endurance training, heat, sauna, high-volume strength, keto.
If you train hard 4+ times a week, especially in summer, one stick during the session covers most of what you lose.