We received this question this week from an athlete wondering if there is such a thing as too many electrolytes.
Val John Anderson, Director of Sales and Marketing for elete, reponds:
“Yes, of course, you can have too much of anything.
A number of athletes actually die every year from consuming too much water (called water toxicity or hyponatremia), which can dilute the body’s electrolytes to dangerously low levels.
Consuming too much electrolytes can also be a problem. You wouldn’t want to drink a whole large refill bottle of elete in one sitting for example. That being said, if you are consuming elete by mixing it with your water, you could actually go up to four times the recommended mixing level and not have any problems other than it would negatively affect the taste of your water.
The surprising thing about elete is that people can achieve results with fairly low levels of essential minerals. Which means that you are at extremely low risk for overdoing it.
The conditions (activity, temperature, etc.) that you are exposed to on a daily basis make a big difference as to how much electrolytes you need. An individual who is not physically active or exposed to heat and who also eats a typical American diet may want to actually reduce the amount of sodium, an essential electrolyte, in their diet. On the other hand, athletes or individuals exposed to heat, lose more sodium than any other electrolyte. That is why you see reports of the government or doctors urging the general public to consume less sodium and at the same time, sports doctors regularly urging people to make sure that they consume enough.
The body works very hard to maintain steady levels of electrolytes through what is called homeostasis. If an individuals is deficient, the body will work to absorb more from the diet and to hold onto it in the body. If a person has an excess, the body won’t try to absorb as much and will work to get rid of it through sweat, urine, or other methods. The body also stores essential electrolytes to be drawn upon as needed. These stores can serve functional roles as well. Calcium, for example, is stored in the bones where it gives the bones strength. Magnesium is stored in the muscles where it is essential to the function of the muscles. The heart is the hardest working muscle in the body and it stores more magnesium than any other tissue in the body.
You can say that electrolytes work as a team. An imbalance between the electrolytes can be just as serious as not having enough or having too much. Having a good balance between the electrolytes can help each one to function better.
elete is an electrolyte with a lower emphasis on sodium than most sports drinks. elete also provides a higher percentage of the recommended dietary value or DV of magnesium than the other electrolytes. We believe that this emphasis or ratio is more in line with achieving the needs of athletes when you consider overall needs and what is consumed from the diet. Sodium is abundant in the diet and the main food source for magnesium is green leafy vegetables.
Going back to the question of whether you can consume too many electrolytes, given the level of of training for most athletes, it is more likely that an athlete would have a hard time getting enough electrolytes in your body than that you would be consuming too much.
Most athletes find that they need to be adding elete to whatever they drink all day long to build their body stores up as much as possible before they start to train or compete and then replace what their digestive system can tolerate during training or competition so that they deplete those stores as slowly as possible.”
In mid-February while most of us can hardly wait for winter time to end and spring to begin, this February in Ruhpolding, Germany, athletes from all over the world–including twin biathletes Tracy and Lanny Barnes from Colorado– have gathered for the German Cup Biathlon races.
In their latest update , Lanny and Tracy provide an extraordinary, behind-the-scenes look at competing in the German Cup.
Week 3 of the RV Diaries: Uncertainty of Battle
“It’s my last night in the RV. In all I’ve spent 20 days and nights inside this little house on wheels. And every night, except this one sleep has come at no cost. But tonight there’s something on my mind. I’m only one race away from accomplishing something that no one else in United States Biathlon has ever accomplished. Something I’ve never even come close to accomplishing. It is something however that I’ve dreamed of for years and have rehearsed in my head many times before. I’m so mentally practiced that this should come easy to me. It should be easy to accomplish. But it isn’t. And it won’t be.
Yesterday I “cleaned” my 3rd race in a row. “Cleaning” is a termed used to describe a race in which the athlete hits all their targets, either 10 for 10 or 20 for 20, shooting 100%. Cleaning 2 races in a row is not entirely uncommon. Cleaning 3 races in a row is quite a feat, but doing it in 4 is something entirely different. For every race you clean the pressure mounts and those little targets you are shooting at, only seem to get smaller and harder to hit. Adrenaline kicks in and your muscles start to shake.
I know what awaits me out on the course today. I have a target on my back the size of an American flag. Yesterday I won the race. It was a German Cup race and I was lucky enough to beat all of the Germans (as well as a Canadian, some Brits and a Norwegian). But not without a price. Today they’ll be gunning for me. It’s a mass start and this race is a head to head brawl on the tracks. There’s no solo trip around the tracks, or solitary bout at the range. You are fighting head –to-head the whole race. Clawing your way up the hills, fighting for position, and shooting as fast and as accurately as possible to gain an advantage in the range.
So, why does sleep allude me? Is it the target on my back? Is it the fear and apprehension of going into battle? Or the unknown opportunity to achieve a dream? I ponder this for a second, and then realize it’s none of these. I’m excited. That’s it and that’s all. I wish the race were right now. Walk up to the start, set your skis down, yell “battle”, and begin. So, with excitement running through my veins I close my eyes and think ‘bring it on Deutschland’ and fall asleep.
Several hours later, I’m lined up at the start line. I’m surrounded by the black, red and gold of the German suits. Everyone is breathing hard and fidgeting as we await the gun that will signal the start of the race. Thoughts are running through my head like a freight train. My eyes feeling like I’m reading a book at warp speed while I try to interpret all the thoughts in my head. Then suddenly a “bang”. I lean on my poles and my skis rocket forward. Any thoughts that were in my head are now gone. I look a head of me and see the track and a sea of girls. Poles and skis are everywhere. Girls are jockeying for position. I get in behind a couple of Germans and try to focus on relaxing.
The hills in Ruhpolding are steep and the descents are unnerving. Already after the first loop my legs are screaming. We climb to the top of a steep hill and descend down around a corner that does a 180 to the left. I hear a sound and look back to see a girl go skidding on her stomach down off the side of the trail. I look back ahead again as the range comes into view. We ski around a corner and you can hear the roar of the crowd as we approach the range. I close my eyes and think “just breath”, which kind of makes me laugh as I’m struggling for breath and my heart is pounding over180 beats per minute. I take one big deep breath and open my eyes. It’s almost as if a switch went off in my brain. There are no thoughts of the crowd. No thoughts of the competitors around me, or the pressure of reaching my goal. I’m in autopilot now.
I ski into the range and up to a shooting point. I’m quickly down on my knees and slinging my gun off my back. Then I lay down, take a deep breath and squeeze off the trigger. I take five shots and five targets fall. I’m then back on my feet and skiing out of the range. I look around and am accompanied by 3 other Germans. They’ve “cleaned” the shooting stage too. And I smile to myself as I know this is going to be a race until the end.
We jockey for position and fight on the hills. Up and down we go, changing leads, and fighting back and forth. We race into the range and come to a screeching halt on the shooting points. The crowd is now completely animated as it’s turning into a battle. Once again I shoot five shots, and five more targets fall. Once again I’m accompanied by the same 3 Germans, each hitting all of their targets as well.
We battle again on the skis. I drop in behind the other girls as I know the real battle is just about to start, and that’s the standing shooting. The standing stages are the last two bouts in the range and are by far the hardest. You’re getting more tired as you’ve already raced close to 5 miles and the standing position is more difficult than prone. We once again ski into the range and up to the shooting point. I drop my poles on the mat and sling my gun off my back. I take aim. The first 4 shots go down easy and then, right before the last shot a thought sneaks into my head. This thought is my enemy. It’s worse than any competitor, and makes a race more difficult than any hill we have to climb. It’s uncertainty and doubt. It’s the thing that keeps most people from accomplishing what they are capable of achieving. All it took was a split second and my focus is shattered. I hear the crowd, the sound of the shots from the other girls around me. I can feel the ache of my legs and the pounding of my heart in my chest.
For just a split second panic creeps in. I feel my legs tense and as I look down my barrel the target is dancing around everywhere. Hitting this target seems like trying to . It’s almost impossible. Almost.
Then I close my eyes. Take a deep breath. A sense of calm washes over me as I think, “It’s just one target. I’ve done this thousands of times in training. I’m ready for this.” It’s why we train. It’s why we study for that test or prepare so much for that presentation. So that when the time comes we are ready. And can do it without hesitation. So, with that my eyes open and the shot is there. I squeeze the trigger and before the target even falls my gun is on my back and I’m skiing out of the range. I know it was a hit.
The last stage took victim two of the German girls. One is out ahead of me and the other two are skiing off their penalty loops from missed targets. I race hard over the loop and back into the range for the final standing stage. Out of nowhere a German girl races up beside me. She was able to ski off her penalty loop and was stronger over the loop on her skis and caught me just before the range. We come into the range together and the crowd is going wild. I look down to the first shooting point, where the German girl in first place is shooting. She has 3 more targets to go as we ski into the points next to her. Our presence must have broken her concentration because she missed her last two shots, opening the door for myself and the other German. We both quickly get into position.
Now the pressure is on. Not only am I shooting for a goal of cleaning 4 races, but for the win as well. This time however, my focus doesn’t waver and the five targets fall without hesitation. The girl I’m shooting with also hits her five and now it becomes a ski race. We both battle hard over the last loop, but in the end, the girl was too fast for me, and I finished second.
Now it’s race over and I’m heading back to the States. I accomplished my goal of cleaning 4 races in a row and am leaving Europe after avoiding the penalty loop (an extra 150 meter loop skied by athletes for each target missed). I learned a lot during this trip especially that your faith in your dreams cannot waiver, especially in the uncertainty of a battle. And with that I turn the RV north to drive back to Munich and prepare for the next battle, whenever that will come.”
elete Powers CrossFit
Have you heard of CrossFit? This is a fitness program that has been used for years by police and military professionals as well as martial artists and other athletes. It’s all about functional strength; the Workout of the Day (WOD) changes all the time and can be scaled for any fitness level. 
Most classes are an hour long and include a warm-up, one or two high intensity (either in strength or speed or both) sessions, a cool-down and some stretching or ‘mobility’ work. The time goes by quickly because athletes are quickly moving from one activity to the next and they are being pushed hard. The group dynamic is fun, inspires comraderie and friendly competition; you’ll push yourself harder in the group setting.
Most CrossFit trainers advocate a diet devoid of processed and refined items. Most sports drinks fall into this category with their high sugar and artificial colors and ingredients. While they provide a spike of energy, it is usually followed by an energy crash shortly after.
elete provides the electrolytes necessary for energy conversion in the body without the artificial ingrededients or sugar contained in other sports drinks. It promotes recovery post-workout and fuels pre- and during workouts as well. Ogden, Utah CrossFit gym Bomber Athlete, head trainer Joel Hatch says, “elete is the ideal electrolyte replacement for CrossFit athletes. It provides the essential elements necessary for optimal performance without the caloric laden side effects of most sports drinks.” We think so too!
We received this great question from Nick Hawkins, “Is elete recommended as a solution for oral rehydration? If that’s the case, then it holds multiple uses. Traveler’s diarrhea happens to the best of travelers. I know that ORS solutions are typically sugar/salt, but it’d help me out in case this happens.”
Val Anderson, of elete, responds:
“Hi Nick. Thank you for the great feedback. I am happy that elete has helped you so much. My experience with elete has been much the same. I have personally received very positive feedback from medical officers in the military who have used elete instead of ORS. The positive difference between what they were accustomed to from ORS vs what they received with elete was partly due to receiving great and rapid results with elete and partly because they had a very difficult time getting their people to drink the ORS due to the very nasty flavor.
One medic commented that his people would actually prefer to receive an I.V. than to drink the ORS. One benefit to using elete electrolytes when you are ill is the versatility that you have with elete.
You can use more or less elete to suit your needs and palatability concerns. elete can be added to anything you your digestive system will hold down when you are sick. If the only thing you are comfortable drinking is Coke or ginger ale, you can add elete to that. I was doing a radio interview just a few days ago and the host described getting food poisoning the day before and having a dramatic improvement to his situation by using elete.
Introducing New elete Packaging
The new elete electrolytes line up.
If you’ve haven’t noticed already, you soon will….that is, the new elete labels and refill bottles have made their debut and will be showing up at a store near you.
As we mentioned a few months ago, we have made some significant changes to the product line, which we feel are improvements in the labeling and bottle sizes. These improvements also have some correlating price changes for consumers; however, the price changes are not significant. elete will continue to provide premium value in an electrolyte replacement product to consumers. It was important for us here at elete to maintain pricing so as not to stretch peoples’ budgets while still providing phenomenal value.
The changes to the elete refill bottles are this: Gone are the 8 oz. and 16 oz. refill sizes. Instead, they’ve been replaced with an 8.3 oz. and 18.3 oz. bottle, respectively. These new elete refill sizes will continue to provide great value for consumers. For instance, the 8.3 oz. refill bottles makes 100, 32 oz/ 1 liter servings of electrolyte-fueled hydration and has a suggested retail of $15.98. The 18.3 oz bottle makes 220, 32 oz./1 liter servings and has an MSRP of $29.98.
In addition to the changes in bottles is a change that you will find on the label: elete labels will now feature a Nutrition Facts panel rather than a Supplement Facts panel. This change reflects the fact that the ingredients are Generally Recognized as Safe.
In addition to the changes to elete Electrolyte Add-In, tablytes™ Balanced Electrolyte Tablets has also changed branding to elete tablytes.
We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the new packaging and updated branding. Likewise, we would love to know what you think about the new changes.
Winter Dehydration
Winter has fallen here at elete World Headquarters. As I type this, snow is falling outside the window.
This can be a slow time here in electrolyte land but that is largely the result of misconception. While electrolytes are on everyone’s mind when we’re sweating away during the summer, winter can be the source of significant dehydration and electrolyte loss as well. Sweat doesn’t drip from our brows like it does in the summer because it is evaporating quickly in the cool temperatures. But if you’re exercising, you are still sweating and depleting electrolytes. And there are many other causes of winter dehydration, too… Dry heat from wood stoves and fireplaces, shooshing all over the mountain on your skis, indoor gym workouts, too much Egg-Nog and the simple fact that you probably aren’t drinking as much water. But don’t take my word for it. Try adding some elete to your beverages throughout the day and see if the winter doldrums start to melt away.
Update on Haiti Donation
This last week we received an update (and photo) from John Mutin of the West Tennessee Haiti Partnership re: elete’s donation for St. Vincent’s in Port au Prince, Haiti.
Here’s what John said:
“We held clinic for 4 days did not see any cases of cholera but the [elete] solutions will go out to those that need it and they said to thank you for your generous support. Here is a link to our blog http://wtnhaitipartnership.blogspot.com/ where pictures from the trip will be posted they are some amazing children and please thank you again for your help .”
Here is the photo that John sent:
Donation will go to St. Vincent’s School for Handicapped Children in Port au Prince
elete Electrolytes announced that it has made a product donation of elete Electrolyte Add-In™, a pure electrolyte concentrate comprising four essential electrolytes including magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, to aid ongoing humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.
elete’s donation will travel with John Mutin and other members of the West Tennessee (WTN) Haiti Partnership. The group will travel in late November to St. Vincent’s School for Handicapped Children in Port au Prince, where they will deliver supplies and aid to the 157 students at the school.
John Mutin, a member of the WTN Haiti Partnership stated, “Right now, the children of St. Vincent’s are in a make-shift old dorm. We’re told that there are currently are 157 students and that the children don’t have clean water to drink. They are currently buying it. We plan on using the elete as a way to help hydrate the children. The children are severely malnourished so they don’t have huge reserves to draw upon. This donation from elete will help the children stay well hydrated.”
“As Haiti continues to recover and rebuild following the devastating earthquake, new problems, such as cholera, emerge and pose a high threat to the lives and health of the people of Haiti,” said Val Anderson, Executive Vice-President and Director of Sales and Marketing for MRI and elete. “It is our hope that our donation to WTN Haiti Partnership and St. Vincent’s will help support and protect some of the most vulnerable in Haiti.”
To learn more about WTN Haiti Partnership, visit their blog at: http://http://wtnhaitipartnership.blogspot.com/.
I was wondering if elete tablytes should only be taken with water or if they are compatible with other sport endurance drinks. I know some electrolyte products recommend taking water only as the use of other electrolyte beverages inhibits the effectiveness of both products.
This is a somewhat complicated question as it varies significantly from person to person and depends on the sports drink you are using. The issue is not so much in compatibility, per se, as how your body, specifically your gastrointestinal system, responds. The main factor in how your GI system reacts depends on the osmolality of the fluid in your body as well as the osmolality of the sports drink (as well as the elete tablytes). In looking at the Nutrition Facts of some sports drinks, the osmolality is not especially high. elete tablytes are on the slightly higher end of the spectrum.
Taking both together will not decrease the effectiveness of either product, but it may result in some GI distress, cramping, bloating or diarrhea. Each person is different, and it can be hard to predict how one’s GI system can react to elete tablytes and a sports drink. If you are really curious, you might try taking a tablyte and a diluted dose of your sports drink and see how your GI system reacts. However, this is not recommended on race day.
Thanks for your question, please contact us if you have remaining questions.
Round Up
We’ve said it before but fall and winter do not slow the elete athletes down one bit. In fact Lanny and Tracy Barnes, our Olympic bi-athletes are just getting warmed up! They are in Canmore, Alberta to kick off their snow training. Many nordic skiiers use the area and they must all share a short 1km loop for their early season training. While in Canmore, they will participate in some early season races against other US National and Canadian National team members before they zip overseas to begin their season in earnest. They both expressed their excitement that there will be two World Cup races here in the States this year. But the World Championships are a far cry from US soil, as they take place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Good luck ladies!
Jeff Kerkove and Sonya Looney are burning the midnight oil of mountain bike season racing in the inaugural Claro Brazil Ride Stage Race. Jeff and Sonya currently sit in third place in the general classification after two second place and one third place finish after three stages. Keep it strong!
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