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It took me years to figure out how to stay hydrated while hiking. I kept to the adage of reminding him that every five miles on the trail he drinks a liter of water and that his pee should be clear and copious. However, on a 34-mile day hike I took in college, I didn't pee all day, even though I gulped down nearly 4 liters of water and never felt thirsty. After that hike, I spent many days enduring headaches, extreme thirst, and other symptoms very similar to dehydration. This happened to me often. I thought that was something all hikers dealt with.
It wasn't until I started backpacking regularly that I realized I needed to fix my hydration habits. If a day on the trail regularly causes severe symptoms for days on end, what happens when you're on the trail for a week? Since then, I've had to be more conscious about hydrating than the average person. I learned that water alone is not enough. As it turns out, this is very common for hikers and other athletes. If you're sweating a lot while hiking, your body needs electrolytes to replenish what it loses in sweat. If you drink only water, you run the risk of developing hyponatremia (drinking too much water dilutes the salt concentration), whose symptoms include nausea, headache, and muscle weakness.
Electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and potassium are important minerals that regulate pH levels, keep you hydrated, and support optimal muscle function. When I'm on the trail, I have one water bottle designated just for my electrolyte mix, and I reserve the other bottles for regular filtered water. (After all, there's nothing worse than the essence of a 3-day-old berry electrolyte mix with hydrating chili mac.) On the trail, I like to use Nuun tablets and Skratch Labs powder, but my thoughts on hydration… 's hard work doesn't always end. I will return to my previous country.
I used to put Nuun tablets in my water bottle before training, but I realized it was a waste of plastic packaging (and money) to use up a tablet when you don't necessarily need trail-like convenience. Ta. So I created my own recipe for an electrolyte mixture.
Electrolytes occur naturally in many places, so it's not difficult to make your own mixture. Ideally, you should create a drink that contains (at least) sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium to mimic the types of electrolytes lost in sweat. My favorite sources of electrolytes are salt, lemon, and 100% fruit juice.
Salt replenishes all the essential minerals mentioned above. Any type of salt will do. One type of salt is not necessarily better than another. However, sea salt contains minerals found in the sea, such as chloride, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, so you can get more electrolytes. I like to add lemon juice to my electrolyte drinks. This is because lemon juice has a sour taste from vitamin C and is also rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
However, salt and lemon alone are not enough to fully support your body's electrolyte needs. That's where juice comes in. I look for juices that are naturally high in magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, such as orange juice, cherry juice, and watermelon juice.
This is a recipe I make every day, whether it's in the morning before my daily hike or before I leave the house on the first day of a backpacking trip. I've been taking it for over a year now, and I've noticed a change. This drink is sweet enough for me, but if you want it sweeter, add a little honey or maple syrup. Taste it for yourself:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 12 ounces sparkling water
- 4 ounces 100 percent fruit juice
- 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
Mix all ingredients and drink immediately. For 1 person