Electrolytes Are For Everyone!
I’ve been in a bit of an exercise funk lately. Nothing extreme, but I’ve been feeling like I need more rest, or more variety, or maybe just planning better so I don’t overdo it. I don’t really know what’s up (it could also just be Covid fatigue, which I think about a billion people have), but I’m trying everything I can to feel energized again - and so far all of it is working pretty well.
My latest experiment is adding a Nuun tablet to my water during exercise. I have never felt the need to “enhance” my water for a workout, because I’m not going that hard and it seems unnecessary/gimmicky to me. BUT, I’m not just a Peloton enthusiast, I’m ALSO chronically ill, and am active in chronic illness communities. Here’s something I learned from my fellow sickos: You don’t have to be a triathlete to benefit from electrolytes! The POTS/dysautonomia folks LOVE electrolyte supplements, particularly Nuun. I don’t have POTS, but for the past month or so I was feeling overly tired after a spin session, and sometimes those last 5 minutes of a class felt oddly difficult, and I just wanted to take a nap on the bike.
A small disclaimer! Fatigue feels different for everyone, but I should mention that this wasn’t me pushing myself when I should have just taken a break. It was more like I knew I could do it, but like, my brain and body weren’t cooperating. Something was just kind of off, but not in a dangerous way. I have - and will continue to - quit when I need to quit, and you should too! I’m also going to talk to my rheumatologist about this, just in case we need to adjust medications, etc.
I use two 18oz Yeti Rambler Chug Bottles (I am a Yeti devotee) on my Peloton, and if I’m doing a workout of 45 minutes or more, I’ll fill one with water and one with Nuun-ed water. I usually drink the Nuun water first, then move on to the plain water if I need it. For shorter workouts, I’ve been experimenting with just one bottle of plain water or one with a Nuun added, and I’ve found that whether I prefer one or the other seems to be workout dependent (Tunde ride? HIIT and Hills? Nuun. 20 minute Cody groove ride? No Nuun). One thing I’ve noticed, when I’ve added a Nuun tablet to my workout, I get off the bike feeling capable. I’m still fatigued, but in a “Wow, great workout” way, not an “Oh crap I have to take a shower and make dinner but I am TIRED” way.
As for the tabs themselves, I’ve only tried one variety, “Sport,” and two flavors, strawberry lemonade and lemon lime. The flavor is very minimal, which I prefer. I’d say it’s a La Croix level of flavor, maybe even less. I imagine the flavor is to mask the taste of the tablet itself, not to make the water taste like Gatorade. One tube, that is eerily reminiscent of M&M’s Minis (which I wrongly thought were extinct), holds 10 tablets, and costs roughly six to seven dollars, at least at Target. After some Googling, I learned that at one point there was a variety pack sold at West Coast Costco stores (Nuun is based in Seattle), but they seem to not be sold there anymore. Still, at around 70 cents per tablet/bottle, they’re pretty affordable, especially if you take advantage of sales. There’s a discount membership program through the Nuun website, and if you’re either a POTS patient or a very active athlete this could be a great thing to look into. Hell, I’m feeling such a difference post-workout I might get a recurring delivery. I’m also intrigued by the pre-workout and recovery varieties. You could have Nuun all day long! (Nuun, if you use this horrific pun in your advertising, I will accept a crate of Nuuns as compensation, thanks in advance.)
