The 5 Finest Salt Tablets for Runners | How A lot Salt to Add to Water for Hydration

If in case you have learn sufficient of our weblog posts, it’s doubtless you might be conscious that plain water isn’t the “end-all be-all” in the case of hydration. Electrolytes are additionally key to keep away from dehydration whereas working.

Electrolytes are the inspiration of a lot of the important features of our our bodies, particularly in individuals which are bodily energetic! With out electrolytes, we wouldn’t have the ability to do issues like keep correct hydration, contract our muscle groups, enable vitamins into and waste out of our cells, or preserve an excellent acid/base steadiness.[1]

Now, for more information on electrolytes and the very best electrolyte water manufacturers, I’m going to direct you over to our latest article that talks all concerning the 17 Finest Electrolyte Water Manufacturers.

However first, please nonetheless stick round to study extra about salt/sodium particularly and all the pieces you might want to find out about salt tablets for runners! On this article, you may look forward to finding data like: the very best salt for hydration, how a lot salt so as to add to water for hydration, Himalayan salt for runners, if salt hydrates you, and what number of salt tablets you want throughout a marathon.

So c’mon – within the spirit of sodium, seize your favourite salty snack, and lets get to speaking about salt!!

Table of Contents

What’s Salt?

We all know that salt is scrumptious and an amazing addition to meals/snacks (or no less than I feel so), however what IS salt?

Salt is made up of two minerals: ~40% sodium and ~60% chloride. Sodium and chloride are each electrolytes as effectively, and salt sometimes serves as the primary supply of these electrolytes within the physique.[2]

Between sodium and chloride, they’re chargeable for issues like nerve and muscle operate, blood stress and pH upkeep, abdomen acid manufacturing, management of vitamins coming out and in of the cells and regulation of water and fluid steadiness.[2, 3, 4]

As you may think about, it’s fairly essential for us to get sufficient salt in our weight loss plan to maintain our our bodies functioning. Nevertheless, an excessive amount of salt danger will also be a well being danger as extreme sodium consumption can result in hypertension and points together with your coronary heart and kidneys![2]

Significance of Sodium for Athletes

Within the part above, we touched on why sodium is essential within the physique usually, however it’s much more essential for energetic people! Why? As a result of sweat is a main supply of salt loss! Have you ever ever completed a exercise and felt a gritty texture or seen a white sheen in your pores and skin? That’s salt!!

Too little sodium may affect your athletic efficiency. Sodium helps keep your electrolyte (blood salt) concentrations which helps preserve the blood flowing and supreme stress in your veins and arteries. On high of that, sodium helps stimulate thirst and reduces urine manufacturing, finally lowering fatigue, muscle cramps, and the danger of different kinds of medical issues which may be related to endurance sports activities, equivalent to working.[5]

Due to this, there are lots of salt tablets for runners to assist them get sufficient sodium in earlier than a future.

However now, are you questioning, what’s the greatest salt for hydration?

What’s the Finest Salt for Hydration?

There are literally fairly a couple of types of salt on the market. The salt you’ll sometimes discover at eating places or in your pantry is sweet ol’ sodium chloride, or “desk salt”, that we talked about earlier.

That is the most typical type of sodium within the weight loss plan and can also be doubtless what you’ll discover in salt tablets, however are there higher choices on the market? To be sincere – sure.

In regard to how desk salt features within the physique, it helps with water and fluid steadiness, however it’s sometimes extremely processed, that means it has been stripped of naturally-occurring minerals and sometimes incorporates a wide range of chemical compounds.

Due to this, we frequently suggest a extra pure salt that isn’t almost as processed and nonetheless incorporates essential minerals important for reaching and sustaining optimum well being.

Our Favourite Salt

Redmonds Real Salt- best salt for hydration

Our private favourite is Redmond’s Real Salt. Mined naturally in Redmond, Utah, this salt is unrefined and nonetheless incorporates all naturally occurring minerals like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc with none added chemical compounds! Packing extra of a nutrient punch, that is our go-to for cooking, including to hydration drinks, and extra!! Himalayan and Celtic salts are additionally nice choices.[6]

Now, for monetary and comfort causes, desk salt is a superb choice, so please don’t really feel like you might want to throw it out and rush to go purchase a brand new variety! However we additionally wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t inform you of higher choices.

himalayan salt for runners. Scoop and bowl of pink himalayan sea salt.

Is Himalayan Salt for Runners a Good Thought?

We talked about how unrefined salts, equivalent to Himalayan salt, are our most popular types of salt. However, is Himalayan salt for runners a good suggestion? Sure!!

As I discussed above, since this salt nonetheless incorporates all its naturally-occurring minerals, it incorporates extra than simply sodium and chloride. That is useful as a result of whereas sodium is essential, it’s additionally essential that you just keep ample shops and steadiness of different minerals – particularly these electrolytes we at all times harp on about!!

So, utilizing Himalayan, Redmond, or Celtic salt is an effective way to be sure you are usually not solely getting sufficient sodium however electrolytes as an entire!

How A lot Salt to Add to Water for Hydration

Now we have talked all concerning the significance of salt and which of them to succeed in for, so now let’s contact on how a lot salt so as to add to water for hydration. You may need seen this coming…however the quantity of salt you want is determined by a wide range of issues. Gender, stage of the menstrual cycle (for many who menstruate), how a lot you sweat, the climate/temperature the place you might be exercising, different electrolytes are being consumed at the moment, and many others.[7, 8]

Analysis exhibits that you must replenish sodium losses if you train for longer than 2 hours, are in a sizzling local weather, or when your sodium losses are excessive (>3-4g Na+). This identical research additionally discovered that between basketball, baseball, soccer, American soccer, and endurance athletes, soccer gamers and endurance athletes (runners) skilled the very best whole-body sweat fee (WBSR) and fee of sweat Na+ losses (RSSL).[7]

This analysis is essential to you as a runner because it discovered that you will want extra sodium than different varieties of athletes!

Women hydrating post exericse wondering how much salt to add to water for hydration.

Beneficial Quantities

Once more, it’s almost not possible to offer you an easy reply to how a lot salt you might want to add to your water since it’s impacted by a wide range of elements listed above. Nevertheless, analysis states {that a} common rule of thumb is so as to add 3.2g (0.5 teaspoons) of desk salt to each 960mL (32 fl oz) of a sports activities drink.[9]

A unique research recommends 500-700 mg/L of fluid to cut back danger of low blood sodium throughout long-duration train.[9]

Barely larger quantities of sodium and different electrolytes are wanted in circumstances of excessive warmth (>77℉) and/or humidity (>60%).[9]

Suggestions for Feminine Athletes

Your part of the menstrual cycle may affect how a lot sodium you want.

In the course of the second half of the menstrual cycle (luteal part), your physique pushes extra sodium out as a result of you’ve larger progesterone ranges. Due to this, you want extra sodium and further electrolytes.[8]

Whereas salt tablets are an amazing instrument, one of the simplest ways to fight that is to prep forward of time by including desk salt to your pre-run meals to permit your physique to soak up extra fluid and water.

For girls, it’s typically higher to organize this fashion than to devour tremendous excessive quantities of salt through salt tablets on the course.

How Many Salt Tablets Throughout Marathon Races Ought to You Devour?

Our FWDfuel workforce is usually requested what number of salt tablets throughout marathon coaching runs and races must be consumed. Nevertheless, once more…..this, sadly, isn’t a easy query to reply.

Much like the above, the reply to this query is determined by a wide range of issues. To ensure that us to have the ability to reply the query of what number of salt tablets throughout marathons, we have to know issues like:

What’s the salt content material of the model of salt pill for runners you’re utilizing?
What’s the temperature and humidity of the race you can be working in?
What’s your velocity? (Slower runners spending extra time within the warmth will doubtless lose extra fluids – this results in extra salt tablets for runners)
Are you a heavy sweater?
Have you ever had a sweat evaluation?

Slower runners and/or heavy sweaters in a sizzling/humid setting will clearly want extra salt tablets than others. Moreover, in case your salt tablets have a decrease salt content material, it’s possible you’ll have to devour extra of them.

To get extra steering on this, we advisable assembly with a vitamin coach who may help interpret these elements and create a hydration plan in your private wants! Along with a hydration plan, a vitamin skilled may additionally assist assess in the event you would possibly profit from further dietary supplements equivalent to UCAN superstarch or NAD-boosting dietary supplements to assist help vitality and endurance whereas exercising.

Runners hydrated with the salt tablets and himalayan salt taking off at the start of a marathon

The Finest Salt Tablets for Runners Record

Ahhhh..finally. Now we have made it to our record of the very best salt tablets for runners.

If you happen to do a fast google search, you will note that there are tons of various salt pill manufacturers on the market. All of them with their very own advertising and marketing techniques to make them appear to be they’re the absolute best alternative.

You additionally may need seen that lots of the salt tablets include minerals different than simply the sodium chloride that’s normally in salt.

You’re proper, it’s overwhelming! BUT – that’s the place we are available in. We seemed into the nitty-gritty particulars and have compiled a listing of our favourite salt tablets (or salt pill substitutes) for runners so that you don’t must!

So, let’s get into it!

Safrel Sodium Chloride Tablets

These unflavored salt tablets are manufactured from simply sodium chloride and include no different minerals. Safrel sodium chloride tablets could be supreme for runners who’re heavy sweaters but in addition would possibly lack some salt of their weight loss plan, finally requiring extra supplemental sodium earlier than a run to keep away from turning into hyponatremic (low concentrations of sodium in your blood).

With 1g of sodium chloride per pill (~394 mg of sodium), these are a fast and straightforward approach to replenish sodium shops earlier than beginning that future.

If we refer again to the tough estimate of salt wanted for hydration, you would wish about 2-3 tablets in 1L of water. Preventatively is healthier – attempt to devour ⅔ of that earlier than your run after which drink the opposite ⅓ after the run to start repleting any additional losses that occurred through the run.

At a worth level of ~$13.00 for 300 tablets, it is a budget-friendly approach to incorporate salt tablets into your working routine.

PolyFit

Bear in mind these alternate options to desk salt we talked about earlier? Nicely..they’re again!! PolyFit’s Electrolyte Salts Tablets are made with Himalayan salt!

So, not solely are these tablets a fast approach to get your salt in earlier than a future, since they’re made with Himalayan salt, however additionally they include different essential nutritional vitamins and minerals to advertise hydration and, finally endurance additional!! With calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and nutritional vitamins B6 and 12 along with sodium and chloride – these salt tablets pack an amazing nutrient punch!

Nevertheless, these are ~$17.00 for 100 tablets, so not fairly as straightforward on the pockets because the Safrel salt tablets. If it’s simpler for you, you may at all times add ~0.5 teaspoon of Himalayan salt to 32oz of water for the same impact!

Electrolyte Tablets

Literal salt tablets, that means those that simply include salt, is probably not all that they’re cracked as much as be. The primary distinction between them is simply the quantity of salt that’s in them.

As talked about a bit of above, all electrolytes are essential in key hydration and working efficiency. Moreover, most merchandise marketed as “salt tablets” additionally include different minerals like potassium, magnesium, and many others. We all know that is completely deceptive to the patron and that is why it’s at all times essential to learn labels and lists of elements.

These sorts of “salt tablets” that include different minerals are actually electrolyte tablets. Electrolyte tablets are sometimes much more useful to runners as they produce other essential vitamins to maintain you working longer!

If you happen to just like the pill type however need extra electrolytes, listed below are some nice electrolyte pill choices! We touched on this in a earlier article of ours, however I assumed I’d convey them over to this one for a refresher!

Nuun

Nuun! So far as electrolyte tablets go, that is our favourite! Freed from all synthetic elements whereas not skipping out on the flavour OR electrolytes – These Knowledgeable-Sport Licensed NUUN tablets have all of it!

1 of those tablets incorporates 300mg sodium, 40mg chloride, 25mg magnesium, 150mg potassium, 13mg calcium and 15kcal.

NUUN advisable dropping a pill into 16oz of water, ready 3 minutes for the pill to dissolve, then ENJOY!

Did I overlook to say that also they are vegan, gluten-free, and licensed Kosher?

NOW Effer-Hydrate Effervescent Hydration Tablets

Whereas NOW’s tablets are similar to Nuun’s electrolyte profile smart, they do have one key distinction – carbonation!

Certainly one of their tablets offers you carbonated hydrating goodness to maintain you going all through your entire run.

In case you are somebody who loves carbonation but in addition is aware of the significance of hydration earlier than a run, NOW offers you the very best of each worlds.

Nevertheless, in case you are a heavy sweater this subsequent advice could also be greatest for you.

Precision Hydration Ph 1500

Once more, in case you are a heavy sweater, happening a future (>2hr), vulnerable to cramping and/or fatigue, and even the entire above – these Ph 1500 tablets are your new greatest pal!

With a sodium content material of 750mg per pill, together with 10mg magnesium, 130mg potassium, and 20mg calcium, these tablets do a superb job at ensuring our sweaty runners are hydrated earlier than a run or assist replete them post-run.

The Final Phrase on How A lot Salt to Add to Water for Hydration

Keep in mind that the very best salt tablets for runners are merely a complement meant to help an already sound behavior of hydrating commonly. Correct hydration must be carried out constantly to not solely cut back the danger of dehydration however to additionally assist enhance detoxing.

If a bit of gritty texture doesn’t trouble you, be at liberty to get your arms on some salt (ideally Redmond’s), and add it to your water your self pre and/or post-run! Nevertheless, in the event you want a bit extra style and a greater texture,make sure you try our posts on the very best electrolyte water drinks the place you’ll study companies like LMNT that make re-hydrating an unbelievably tasty job post-run.

Lastly, one factor we frequently see in runners is a major quantity of fatigue when constructing mileage as a result of undereating and underfueling. Don’t overlook to commonly work on boosting your protein consumption with entire meals, pure protein bars, and high-quality grass-fed whey protein to attain optimum restoration.

References

Tags: Add, Hydration, Runners, Salt, Tablets, Water

The 5 Finest Salt Tablets for Runners | How A lot Salt to Add to Water for Hydration

What’s Salt?

Significance of Sodium for Athletes