Hydration and Electrolyte Balance: Essential Supplements for Hybrid Training Success

Hydration and Electrolyte Balance: Essential Supplements for Hybrid Training Success

When discussing hybrid training, your mind probably thinks of routine, exercise, and performance goals. However, what many athletes in Australia may overlook is the importance of small moments for hydration before, during, and after each training session.

As the country gets hotter, and with over 38% of Australians experiencing extreme heat, it's essential to be more attuned to your body's hydration signals. Dehydration can be a silent performance killer that can throw you off your game and prolong recovery times. 

Research from the Australian Institute of Sport shows that dehydration can impact athletic performance by up to 30%!  Another study from Sports Dieticians Australia reveals that even a 2-3% loss of body weight due to dehydration can significantly impact endurance and cognitive function, which may ultimately slow down your fitness goals. 

As a hybrid athlete in Australia, don't let dehydration be the weak link in your training! Dive in with us today as we uncover some top strategies to stay hydrated and sharp and smash your performance goals every step of the way.

The importance of hydration and electrolytes

Look, we’re not going to educate you on the importance of hydration - likely, you’re already aware of just how much you need to stay on top of your health. After all, water helps support: 

  • Regulating your body temperature 

  • Adding lubrication to joints

  • Supplying nutrients to cells

  • Eliminating waste products 

  • Helping with oral function 

Again, staying on top of hydration can also help enhance your sleep quality, cognitive function and overall mood. 

So, what are electrolytes, then? 

Well, they are minerals in your blood and body that contain an electrical charge when dissolved in water. Generally, there are seven main types: calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride, phosphate, magnesium and bicarbonate. 

Electrolytes are good for you because they help your body function by supporting: 

  • The amount of water in your body

  • Regulation of PH levels in your blood

  • Nerve and muscle function 

  • Help repair tissues 

The main types of electrolytes are: 

  • Calcium

  • Potassium

  • Sodium

  • Chloride 

  • Phosphate

  • Magnesium

  • Bicarbonate

Ultimately, electrolytes help your body generate electrical charges to perform the core functions, but to do that, they need to be dissolved into water. You can only replenish your electrolyte balance by drinking water, eating certain foods, and, of course, taking electrolytes -more on that later. 

Which foods have electrolytes?

You can try to replenish your electrolyte levels naturally by eating certain foods, such as: 

  • Bananas (potassium)

  • Leafy green vegetables (magnesium, calcium)

  • Avocados (potassium, magnesium)

  • Citrus fruits (potassium, magnesium)

  • Nuts and seeds (potassium, magnesium)

  • Tomatoes (potassium, sodium)

  • Dried fruits (potassium, magnesium)

To truly understand the role of electrolytes, consider reading our post,-Everything You Need to Know About Electrolytes.

How do electrolytes support Hybrid Training? 

As a Hybrid Athlete in Australia, it’s even more critical than ever that you stay on top of your hydration and electrolyte levels. Aerobic and strength exercises can trigger significant sweating and electrolyte loss. 

Hybrid training sessions often involve a range of different intensities, creating high metabolic demands. As an athlete, you’re likely to have a higher sweat rate, sweating up to 2-3 litres per hour, which creates a significant loss of electrolytes and a potential imbalance

Help with heart health

Apart from enhancing your cognitive function, electrolytes also support your heart health. Electrolytes support muscle contractions and, in particular, heart health. They help you maintain blood volume, reduce resistance in blood flow and improve overall oxygen delivery to muscles in your hybrid workouts.  

Sustained energy production

In hybrid training, your body utilises multiple energy systems, resulting in high metabolic stress and increased electrolyte loss. Sufficient electrolyte intake enables sustained energy production and facilitates faster recovery between sessions, allowing you to maintain intensity and adapt to various types of training. 

Hydration strategies to support hybrid training  

To make the most of your workouts and prevent yourself from feeling dehydrated, you’ll want to get your hydration on point. Here are 4 top tips to help with your hydration:

Regularly add fluids to your diet 

Always try to drink fluids high in electrolytes before, during and after  training especially if you have a long or intense session planned in a hot environment. 

Monitor your sweat loss 

Whenever possible, try to monitor sweat loss. If you’re known to have a high sweat rate, you may need even more electrolytes than usual, particularly sodium and magnesium. This will help enhance your performance and speed up your recovery. 

Add more electrolyte rich foods to your diet

Remember earlier when we said we have electrolyte rich foods? Well whenever possible try to add foods high in electrolytes to your diet so you feel rejuvenated and ready to take on your training at all times.

Combine with carbohydrates

If you have training sessions longer than 60 minutes, then you need to be conscious of your carbohydrate intake. On average you should aim to include around 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour in your hydration plan. You can get this through powders, sports drinks, gels and even water to help sustain energy availability and delay fatigue. 

Again, if you train longer than 60 minutes, i.e 150 minute sessions  increase your intake of glucose and fructose, they can help empty gastric rates and fluid delivery compared to just glucose, helping hydration and reducing overall cardiovascular strain in exercise.This can help you maximize absorption and oxidation, helping you workout harder while staying hydrated.

Try to get your carb intake from solid fuel sources i.e gels, chews, energy bars and real foods. The reason for this, is it can help with less overall GI distress for athletes working out in the Australian heat or in long events. 

However when it comes to combining carbohydrates with electrolytes, it’s important to know what works for you may not work for others. Which is why, it may take a combination of trial and error during training. So be prepared to try different stuff and make a few amendments when needed. 

Try Go Nutrition Electrolytes 

Stay on top of your training, remain hydrated and push past your limits with Go Nutrition Electrolytes. Our electrolytes come in refreshing and tasty flavours watermelon and lemon & lime. 

This rejuvenating supplement contains essential minerals which help replenish lost electrolytes, aid muscle function and help you stay on top of your hydration levels. Power through hybrid workouts faster with just one scoop of 500ml of electrolytes added to water 

It can allow you to power through Hybrid workouts and recover faster. Simply add one scoop of 500ml to water and stir accordingly. 

Additional supplements to help with hydration strategies 

On top of existing supplements and hydration methods, you might want to try a range of other supplements that can support your energy and recovery. The following may help support your hydration goals: 

  • Magnesium: This helps muscle relaxation, cramp prevention, sleep quality and energy production. 

  • Omega-3 fatty acids: These help reduce inflammation, support cardiovascular and joint health. 

  • Protein powders: Aids muscle repair and growth. 

Wrapping up Hydration and Electrolyte balance 

Overall, hydration and electrolyte balance play a major role in the outcome of your hybrid training. Apart from just increasing your water intake, try and add more electrolyte rich foods to your diet.

To know how much electrolytes you need for your body, you might want to monitor your sweat loss. If you’re known to have a high sweat rate, you may need even more electrolytes than usual, particular sodium and magnesium.

If you sweat more in certain exercises ,try to eat more electrolyte rich foods in particular magnesium and sodium i.e tomatoes and leafy green vegetables.  This will help enhance your performance and speed up your recovery. 

If you feel you can’t get enough from your lifestyle try Go Nutrition Electrolytes. Formulated in accordance with scientific research they can help you stay on track with your workouts, goals and hybrid lifestyle.

Remember with electrolytes, it’s always a matter of trial and error to find out which hydration strategy works for you. Don’t give up on your hydration strategy and experiment to see which one suits you best.

FAQS

Why do we need electrolytes?

Your body uses electrolytes to conduct electrical charges which is how your muscles contract. The electrical charges also help with chemical reactions, especially with hydration and balance of fluids inside and outside of cells. Which helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, support the nervous system and much more. 

Which food is high in electrolytes?

There’s no one set food high in electrolytes, instead there’s multiple ones such as bananas, milk, avocado, watermelon, almonds, oranges, potatoes, kale and more. 

What is the best drink for electrolytes?

Apart from electrolyte supplements themselves, coconut water, fruit juices, milk and smoothies are high in electrolytes. 

Which is the strongest electrolyte?

Out of all of the minerals, one of the strongest electrolytes is Sodium Chloride. This electrolyte has many benefits, one of which is absorbing and transporting nutrients. They help maintain blood pressure, secretion of gastric acid and help the transfer of nerve impulses. 

Back to blog
1 3