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

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

Electrolytes are the inspiration of a lot of the important features of our our bodies, particularly in folks which might be bodily energetic! With out electrolytes, we wouldn’t be capable of do issues like preserve correct hydration, contract our muscular tissues, permit vitamins into and waste out of our cells, or maintain a great acid/base steadiness.[1]

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

However first, please nonetheless stick round to be taught extra about salt/sodium particularly and every little thing you might want to learn about salt tablets for runners! On this article, you may anticipate finding data like: the perfect 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 a fantastic 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 properly, and salt usually serves as the primary supply of these electrolytes within the physique.[2]

Between sodium and chloride, they’re accountable for issues like nerve and muscle perform, blood strain 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 can 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 necessary within the physique normally, however it’s much more necessary 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 can even affect your athletic efficiency. Sodium helps preserve your electrolyte (blood salt) concentrations which helps maintain the blood flowing and preferrred strain in your veins and arteries. On prime of that, sodium helps stimulate thirst and reduces urine manufacturing, finally decreasing fatigue, muscle cramps, and the chance of different kinds of medical issues that could be related to endurance sports activities, comparable to operating.[5]

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

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

What’s the Finest Salt for Hydration?

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

That is the commonest type of sodium within the weight loss plan and can be probably 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 usually extremely processed, that means it has been stripped of naturally-occurring minerals and infrequently comprises a wide range of chemical compounds.

Due to this, we regularly advocate a extra pure salt that isn’t almost as processed and nonetheless comprises essential minerals important for attaining 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 comprises 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 high-quality possibility, so please don’t really feel like you might want to throw it out and rush to go purchase a brand new type! 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 Concept?

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

As I discussed above, since this salt nonetheless comprises all its naturally-occurring minerals, it comprises extra than simply sodium and chloride. That is helpful as a result of whereas sodium is essential, it’s additionally essential that you simply preserve ample shops and an excellent steadiness of different minerals – particularly these electrolytes we all the time harp on about!!

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

How A lot Salt to Add to Water for Hydration

We have now 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 will depend on a wide range of issues. Gender, stage of the menstrual cycle (for individuals 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 so on.[7, 8]

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

This analysis is necessary to you as a runner because it discovered that you’ll want extra sodium than different kinds 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 provide you a simple reply to how a lot salt you might want to add to your water since it’s impacted by a wide range of components listed above. Nevertheless, analysis states {that a} basic 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 special examine recommends 500-700 mg/L of fluid to scale back danger of low blood sodium throughout long-duration train.[9]

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

Suggestions for Feminine Athletes

Your section of the menstrual cycle can even affect how a lot sodium you want.

Through the second half of the menstrual cycle (luteal section), your physique pushes extra sodium out as a result of you might have larger progesterone ranges. Due to this, you want extra sodium and further electrolytes.[8]

Whereas salt tablets are a fantastic 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 manner 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 commonly requested what number of salt tablets throughout marathon coaching runs and races ought to be consumed. Nevertheless, once more…..this, sadly, isn’t a easy query to reply.

Just like the above, the reply to this query will depend on 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 may be operating in?
What’s your velocity? (Slower runners spending extra time within the warmth will probably 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 atmosphere will clearly want extra salt tablets than others. Moreover, in case your salt tablets have a decrease salt content material, you might must devour extra of them.

To get extra steering on this, we advisable assembly with a diet coach who can assist interpret these components and create a hydration plan to your private wants! Along with a hydration plan, a diet knowledgeable may additionally assist assess should you may profit from further dietary supplements comparable to UCAN superstarch or NAD-boosting dietary supplements to assist help power 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 Checklist

Ahhhh..ultimately. We have now made it to our record of the perfect salt tablets for runners.

When you 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 very best selection.

You additionally may need seen that most 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 an inventory of our favourite salt tablets (or salt pill substitutes) for runners so that you don’t need to!

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 can be preferrred for runners who’re heavy sweaters but additionally may lack some salt of their weight loss plan, finally requiring extra supplemental sodium earlier than a run to keep away from changing 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 strategy to replenish sodium shops earlier than beginning that long term.

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 throughout the run.

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

PolyFit

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

So, not solely are these tablets a fast strategy to get your salt in earlier than a long term, since they’re made with Himalayan salt, however in addition they include different needed 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 a fantastic 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 all the time 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, might not be all that they’re cracked as much as be. The principle distinction between them is simply the quantity of salt that’s in them.

As talked about a bit of above, all electrolytes are necessary in key hydration and operating efficiency. Moreover, most merchandise marketed as “salt tablets” additionally include different minerals like potassium, magnesium, and so on. We all know that is completely deceptive to the buyer and this is the reason it’s all the time necessary 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 helpful to runners as they produce other needed vitamins to maintain you operating longer!

When you 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 deliver 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 comprises 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 neglect 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 sensible, they do have one key distinction – carbonation!

One among their tablets provides you carbonated hydrating goodness to maintain you going all through your complete run.

If you’re somebody who loves carbonation but additionally is aware of the significance of hydration earlier than a run, NOW provides you the perfect of each worlds.

Nevertheless, if you’re a heavy sweater this subsequent advice could also be finest for you.

Precision Hydration Ph 1500

Once more, if you’re a heavy sweater, occurring a long term (>2hr), susceptible to cramping and/or fatigue, and even all the above – these Ph 1500 tablets are your new finest good friend!

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 perfect salt tablets for runners are merely a complement meant to help an already sound behavior of hydrating commonly. Correct hydration must be accomplished persistently to not solely scale back the chance of dehydration however to additionally assist enhance detoxing.

If a bit of gritty texture doesn’t trouble you, be happy to get your palms on some salt (ideally Redmond’s), and add it to your water your self pre and/or post-run! Nevertheless, should you want a bit extra style and a greater texture,you’ll want to take a look at our posts on the perfect electrolyte water drinks the place you’ll study companies like LMNT that make re-hydrating an unbelievably tasty activity post-run.

Lastly, one factor we regularly see in runners is a major quantity of fatigue when constructing mileage as a consequence of undereating and underfueling. Don’t neglect to commonly work on boosting your protein consumption with complete meals, pure protein bars, and high-quality grass-fed whey protein to realize 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