Health Education #4: How Exercise can Disrupt our Body's Fluid & Electrolyte Balance | What To Do After a Vigorous Exercise

I have noticed lately how Steemians from my locality at @steemph.cebu have used Steemit as an avenue to further recreational activity through sports. Among these include @jassennessaj @melsmacan @jbeguna04 @loydjayme25 @chuuuckie @iamwhatiamnot @sorenkierkegaard @ronygen13 @dopinthezone @jasoncaspe @ligarayk @legendavid03 @jcpuzs1 @reyarobo @natz04 @philip.pino21 @jumargachomiano @thonnavares @bobburton @robin-ho @nunilon @josephace135 @arpiethesurvivor @davem. You can read about their latest #steemsport meetup here. A good friend @pizzannizza, who just had her birthday recently, conducted an ice-skating meet-up as well. It's really amazing how Steemit paved way for sports and community building.

Sports and exercise play an important part in our well-being. In fact, it is very important to be active and have at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. While this is the case, it is noteworthy that it can also have negative impacts when we are not fully aware of the implications. Allow me to shed some light as to how exercise can disrupt our physiologic balance and what we can do about it.

The Role of Water in our Bodies

Our body is 60-70% water which is distributed inside and outside our cells. This water is very important to maintain countless normal body processes such as transfer of oxygen and nutrients to our body tissues, maintaining body temperature and excreting wastes from the body. To make the long story short:

Water is a vital component in our body involved in normal physiologic actions which make it possible for us to live.

This is why it is very essential for us to hydrate ourselves. When 1% of the total fluid volume in our body is lost, we initially start to feel thirsty. This is our body's way of telling us that we need to fuel up on more water to keep our bodies running.

The Role of Electrolytes in our Bodies

Electrolytes on the other hand are composed of charged ions of elements which regulate the body processes as well. This includes sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, bicarbonate and many others. Each of these electrolytes has special roles in the body.

For example, sodium is involved in pulling water from the kidneys back to the body. This is why people who have high blood pressure are discouraged from eating foods high in salt (junk foods, preserved and canned goods, packaged meals and highly seasoned food) since salt attracts more water causing more fluid in our blood vessels and increases the body's blood pressure. In short:

It is important to maintain a delicate balance of electrolytes in the body. An imbalance can easily constitute an impairment in a certain body function

Impact of Exercise on Fluid & Electrolytes

When we engage in vigorous exercise, this puts us at risk for developing fluid and electrolyte imbalance.

First, when we exercise, we can easily lose 1% of the total body water through sweating. When our muscles move constantly, it releases heat. Perspiration or sweating is the body's way to maintain the body's temperature. Second, increased activity can increase our breathing to breathe in more oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. The air that we breathe out not only contains carbon dioxide but also water in the form of water vapor. You may notice this when you put on a mask and find after a few minutes that it has already become damp.

While these mechanisms maintain balance in the body, it also has a counterproductive effect to it. Water can easily be lost along with electrolytes. This often includes sodium(Na+) and potassium (K+) which are easily lost through vigorous activity.

What should I do after a vigorous exercise?

I hope I didn't antagonize exercising too much. Do not worry when you sweat too much as here are three ways you can effectively easily restore balance in your body.

1. Rehydrate with Electrolyte Drinks: You can purchase these drinks at your nearest convenience stores. Common Trade Names include Gatorade, Propel, Vitamin Water, Pocari Sweat, and Powerade. These drinks have proportional amount of water, electrolytes and sugar which were lost during exercise. You could also make your own if you have the time. I will make a tutorial on how to make one soon.

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2. Don't drink too much water: While it is expected to be thirsty after activity, health experts discourage drinking too much water as this can dilute the remaining electrolytes in the body. While fluids are restored, electrolytes are not. It is therefore recommended to gradually increase fluid intake after vigorous activity until you no longer feel thirsty. 500-1000 ml of water will do just fine taken in increasing amount. Don't gulp it in one setting.

3. Eat Fruits and Vegetables: These are the best sources of minerals which are lost in activity. Each fruit contains different levels of electrolytes while some may have more of a specific mineral. For example, Bananas and Avocados are rich in potassium which can give your body a boost.

_{All photos are released under CC0 Creative Commons, are free for public domain and commercial use or labeled for reuse unless stated otherwise.}

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_{I haven't been making Health Education Posts as much as I would want to. But because I decided to be absent in school today, I simply decided to make a post. I hope you guys learned from it}

This has been Aaron, Jose the Giraffe

_{@steemph.cebu | @steemiteducation | @air-clinic | @thealliance | @steemph}