Login | August 18, 2025
Choosing your electrolyte
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: August 18, 2025
We’ve been doing workouts amidst some pretty torrid temps/humidity thus far this summer.
And hopefully we’ve all been diligent about rehydrating with electrolytes in addition to water.
But I’d be willing to bet that there’s a pretty significant amount of you who are somewhat confused about just which electrolyte product is the best bet for your particular needs.
And that’s actually a really legitimate concern because there’s a ton of product out there touting various selling points, some of which might not necessarily suit your needs. So let’s take a look at this issue.
But let me first say that I’m not going to declare a best product out there because I don’t believe there’s any one product that totally fits the bill for everyone.
Products which work for me might not work for you.
And this is because of the numerous idiosyncrasies we all have with respect to our metabolisms, our differing personal tastes and our various training needs.
So there’s no magic bullet product you’re going to read about here.
With that said let’s get rolling with electrolytes.
Electrolytes are important because there’re key minerals that our bodies require to actually conduct electrical processes - like electrical impulses to initiate muscular contractions in the heart and skeletal muscles.
And thus, our need for these minerals becomes magnified when we exercise, especially in hot, humid weather when we sweat them out at a higher rate than when we’re sedentary.
What minerals are we talking about?
Several of the more prominent ones include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, bicarbonate and sulphate.
Now with respect to electrolyte products - there are a plethora of them out there.
And some will be better suited to you and your workout needs than others.
So the question is: How do you make the choice?
Well, here are some key points to consider when you’re shopping for your electrolyte product.
1. First and foremost your electrolyte product should contain at the bare minimum: sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride. Your electrolyte focus should be much deeper than just getting in sodium and potassium. And this is because the five aforementioned key constituents all work in tandem to allow the body to maintain proper fluid balance. So don’t scarf down a supplement/pill that contains just one or a couple of these key constituents and think that you have your electrolyte situation under control.
2. You’ll also want to consider the bioavailability of the minerals in your electrolyte product. What’s bioavailability? It means that the minerals in the product are in forms which can be better absorbed by the body. Take magnesium for instance. Magnesium in the form of magnesium oxide is less bioavailable than say magnesium citrate and magnesium aspartate.
3. Think too about the other constituents that are in your electrolyte product…and do you want them in there? Here are a few of the more important ones to think about. Allergens such as soy, gluten, dairy and nuts can cause minor to major allergic reactions. Then you have those pesky artificial colors and/or artificial sweeteners to consider. What’s more, some electrolyte products contain compounds such as sugar, maltodextrin and cornstarch, compounds which have been linked to both gut inflammation and an imbalance of some of the more important gut microbiota. So if you have a “tender” gut - like I do - excessively sweet products might be a no-no.
4. Also consider whether an electrolyte product is or isn’t third party certified. This is because most all sports supplement products - like electrolytes - are not sternly regulated by the FDA. These third party orgs test for nasties like bacterial contamination and heavy metals. They also test and verify the purported mineral content of the products. Good certifications come from USP (United States Pharmacopeia), NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) International and ConsumerLab.com.
5. Finally, with respect to sodium intake consider this. According to the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) 300-600 mg of sodium per hour is likely necessary for heavy sweaters and for folks who are exercising in the heat/humidity for two hours or more. Thus, if you are in the aforementioned categories then you might want to consider a product that’s a little bit more heavily weighed on the sodium side. If you’re not, then excess sodium in your product is probably not necessary.
So there you are. Do get those electrolytes in, but it will serve you well to read those ingredient lists so you can choose your products wisely.