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Avoiding Salt? Make It Part of Your Nutrition Plan!: Pre-Workout Supplement
Avoiding Salt? Make It Part of Your Nutrition Plan!: Pre-Workout Supplement
Make It Part
Of Your Nutrition Plan!
Think the only thing sodium increases is your blood pressure? Guess what:
Salt can increase your exercise performance in three important ways!
For decades, people have been told to limit the amount of salt in their diets.
In fact, high sodium intake has been linked to everything from high blood
pressure, strokes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and
osteoporosis.[1]
But if your doctor has never told you to watch your sodium intake, you don't
have a history of high blood pressure or other health complications, and
you exercise frequently, it might be time to add more salt to your diet.
You don't want to go overboard. But you might be doing yourself a favor by
adding more salt to your meals and by having the occasional salty treat.
Here's why.
Simply by making you thirsty, salt prompts you to take in more fluids, and
that has lots of exercise-related benefits. First, staying hydrated helps your
kidneys maintain proper electrolyte levels. Hydration also helps maintain
blood volume while you exercise. And it reduces the chances that you'll
lose strength, power, or endurance—or suffer from the fatigue, headaches,
dizziness, and muscle cramps caused by dehydration.
How Much Sodium Is Enough?
Sometimes, however, it's hard to calculate how much salt your diet
contains. Make sure to include the sodium you get from salty foods such as
canned beans and vegetables, soup, pretzels, popcorn, chips, and whole-
grain crackers. Otherwise, you'll probably underestimate your total.
One of the best ways to see if you're getting enough sodium is by looking
at the color of your urine. If there's no color in your urine and it looks like
water, you're probably drinking too much water and need to get more
sodium in your diet. If your urine is dark like apple cider, it means you're
dehydrated and need to start drinking more fluids. The color you want is a
pale or lemonade shade of yellow, which means you're well-hydrated and
getting enough sodium.