As a North Carolina sports dietitian based in Raleigh, I work with runners, cyclists, and athletes who know just how tough the Triangle’s heat and humidity can be. 

One of the most common questions I hear is: “Do I need an electrolyte drink for my workout?” The answer depends on how much you’re sweating and how long you’re exercising. Hydration isn’t just about water — it’s also about replacing electrolytes to keep your muscles, nerves, and energy systems working at their best.

When you exercise, especially in hot temperatures, your body works hard to stay cool — which means you lose more fluids and electrolytes. Staying well-hydrated isn’t just about drinking water. It’s about having a balance of both water and electrolytes to support fluid balance, muscle function, and nerve signaling.

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals that, when dissolved in water, carry an electric signal. The key electrolytes you need are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, and phosphate. These are found in your blood, sweat, urine, and muscle tissue.

Electrolytes support your body in a few key ways:

• Maintaining fluid balance: Electrolytes regulate how much fluid enters and exits your cells. This helps you avoid both dehydration and overhydration — it’s about finding equilibrium.
  
• Muscle contraction: Electrolytes help your muscles contract and relax properly during exercise. If you’ve ever experienced a muscle cramp during a long workout, you were probably running low on potassium and magnesium from sweat loss.
  
• Nerve function: Electrolytes help neurons and neurotransmitters fire correctly. If your electrolytes are out of balance, you might feel nausea, muscle weakness, numbness, mental fog, confusion, or fatigue.
  

How does sweating impact your hydration and electrolyte balance?

When you exercise, your body cools itself by sweating. Sweat isn’t just water — it also contains electrolytes, especially sodium. The longer and harder you sweat, the more electrolytes you lose. That’s why simply drinking water isn’t always enough to keep your body in balance.

If you only replace fluids with water, you risk diluting your electrolyte levels. This can leave you feeling weak, foggy, or crampy, and in extreme cases, it can become dangerous. That’s where an electrolyte drink can make a big difference.

You’re most likely to benefit from an electrolyte drink if you:

• Work out for more than 60 minutes, especially in hot or humid weather
• Do outdoor activities on hot summer days
• Push through high-intensity interval training indoors or outdoors
• Naturally sweat a lot (or notice salt streaks on your clothes and skin afterward)

Your hydration needs

Getting enough fluids all day long is just as important as hydrating during your workout. Most adults need 2–3 liters of fluid per day, but your needs depend on your body size, sex, and climate. Once you add physical activity, that number goes up.

In the summer, athletes often need 3–6 liters of fluid per day. That takes into account sweat loss from workouts. Your fluids can come from water, sports drinks, soups, smoothies, and water-rich foods.

Figuring out your sodium needs

Even though you lose potassium and magnesium when you sweat, sodium is the electrolyte you lose the most of — and it has the biggest impact on your performance and hydration status.

Some people are naturally saltier sweaters than others. For every liter of sweat you lose, you might lose around 400mg of sodium if you’re a low-salty sweater, or as much as 1500mg if you’re a salty sweater.

You might be a salty sweater if:

• You notice white patches or streaks on your workout clothes or hat after they dry
• Your eyes sting when sweat drips in them
• You see visible salt crystals on your skin after sweat dries
• You crave salt after a workout

If any of these sound familiar, chances are you’re losing more sodium in your sweat.

Adding electrolytes to your routine

Below is a list of reliable electrolyte additions and their sodium content:

1. Nuun Hydration Tablets– 300mg 
2. Liquid IV– 500mg
3. LMNT– 1000mg
4. Skratch Labs– 400mg
5. Mortal Hydration– 450-900mg
6. Tailwind Endurance Fuel– 300mg

Note that LMNT, a popular brand that’s advertised on a ton of huge podcasts, has 1000 milligrams of sodium per serving. That’s a lot! While it might be the right choice for some people in some situations — for example, if you’re a salty sweater running outside for an hour or more on a hot day — it’s definitely not the right choice for everyone, despite what all those podcasts would have you believe. The recommended maximum sodium intake is 2300 milligrams of sodium per day, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While excessive sweating during exercise can certainly increase your sodium needs above that, it’s still a good number to keep in mind.

Options like Nuun and Skratch Labs have lower sodium contents, making them a better choice for most casual exercisers in need of some electrolyte replenishment. 

Figuring out which electrolyte option works best for you might take some trial and error. If you’re an endurance athlete, it’s a good idea to test your hydration plan before a race so you don’t run into any surprises.

Working with a sports dietitian can help you feel more confident about your training

Training in North Carolina means dealing with hot summers, sticky humidity, and long workouts that challenge your hydration. If you’re wondering whether you need an electrolyte drink — or just want a plan tailored to your body, training schedule, and sweat rate — working with a sports dietitian can make all the difference. At Ruby Oak Nutrition, our North Carolina dietitians help runners, cyclists, and athletes of all levels fine-tune their hydration and fueling so they can perform their best and feel their best. Book an appointment today to get personalized support for your training.

Learn more about sports nutrition counseling, offered in Raleigh, NC, and virtually to clients in several states. We’re in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna plans, which means you might be able to work with one of our sports dietitians at little or no cost!

Ready to book an appointment? Click here to book online.

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