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Heat Wave Electrolytes

barryg

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
June: Camino Frances from Pamplona
Hello!

I am getting into SJPDP on August 15th and plan to hike up to Roncesvalles on August 16th. I am looking for recommendations on what is the best brand of electrolyte powder or packets to buy here in the USA before I arrive, or if you think this is unnecessary. I've been hearing horror stories about the heat. I will be getting into SJPDP late August 15th and leaving as early as possible (due to the heat) on August 16th, so will not have time to buy anything there. My wife and I are both 71, but in good shape. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Warmly,

Barry
 
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Hello!

I am getting into SJPDP on August 15th and plan to hike up to Roncesvalles on August 16th. I am looking for recommendations on what is the best brand of electrolyte powder or packets to buy here in the USA before I arrive, or if you think this is unnecessary. I've been hearing horror stories about the heat. I will be getting into SJPDP late August 15th and leaving as early as possible (due to the heat) on August 16th, so will not have time to buy anything there. My wife and I are both 71, but in good shape. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Warmly,

Barry
There are a lot of them on the market but one I would recommend is Liquid IV (as in intravenous). It comes in single-use packets. Nuun Sport is a good one and comes in tablet form. Be aware that just about all electrolyte powders/tablets are heavy, so I'm taking one tube of Nuum tabs and based on many recommendations I'll buy Aquarius water in Spain (leaving September 7).
 
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Wearing my personal trainer's hat here, I train triathletes so nutrition and hydration are something I deal with. I wouldn't worry about special electrolye powder. Almost as good as the special - and expensive - packets, mix about 10-20% orange juice to the water in your drink bottle and add a good pinch of sea salt. Eat a banana occasionally because that provides extra potassium and is also a good source for slow-digesting carbohydrates.

Nuun tabs are useful to have in your pack, there are other similar brands around now.

What is Aquarius water and why would you buy it? There is plenty of clean water available on the Camino.
 
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Ah, I see. I just Googled for it, and it's just another sports drink. OK if you likethe taste but i'd still go for water, juice and salt not least because you can control the amount of sugar that way.
And another plastic bottle to be added to the pile - I like your way better.

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or substitute fruit juice or honey for the sugar.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I've used Nuun on three Caminos and other walks and it seems to do the job for me. I'm prone to leg cramps so I have a pretty good indicator of what works and what doesn't. As stated, they are a bit heavy and you use two tablets per 16 oz of water. I usually walk with equal amounts of Nunn spiked and regular water. And of course, there is the ocaissional elixir Aquarius.
 
How about orange juice and tortilla for breakfast? The orange juice has sugar and vitamins, the tortilla has salt.
That's a pretty good start to the day. If it's very hot it's still worth adding a small amount of salt to your water because some people sweat out a lot of salt. It's very variable, but if you have white marks on your shirt when it dries, you're probably losing quite a bit of salt so add a bit to your food and possibly to your water.
 
That's a pretty good start to the day. If it's very hot it's still worth adding a small amount of salt to your water because some people sweat out a lot of salt. It's very variable, but if you have white marks on your shirt when it dries, you're probably losing quite a bit of salt so add a bit to your food and possibly to your water.
I can have French fries with my lunch. 😊
 
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I took magnesium and potassium tablets with me. Added salt to my water. Did not use sugar.

This worked for me, but I didn't walk in extreme heat. Just be careful and make sure you are well enough hydrated without over-diluting the electrolytes.
 
My daughter has been down for the weekend and, while she was upstairs packing to go home, I took a look at the ingredients of Aquarius (she tends to take her time), it contains:

Carbonated Water

Sucrose = sugar

Fructose = fruit sugar

citric acid = weak acid from oranges and lemons

flavourings

sodium chloride = salt

sodium citrate = sodium salt of citric acid

B vitamins:

B3 = niacin - liver, chicken breast, tuna, salmon, pork, beef, peanuts, brown rice, wholewheat

B5 = pantothenic acid – panthothenic means “from everywhere” because it is found in so many foodstuffs: mushrooms, legumes and lentils, avocados, milk, eggs, cabbage, organ meats such as liver and kidneys, white and sweet potatoes, whole-grain cereals and yeast, egg yolks, broccoli, fish, shellfish, chicken and yogurt, corn, cauliflower, kale, tomatoes, split peas, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower seeds, lobster and salmon.

B6 = pyridoxine - found in pork, chicken, turkey, cod, bread, whole cereals (such as oatmeal, wheatgerm and rice), eggs, vegetables, soya beans, peanuts, milk, potatoes and some fortified breakfast cereals.

B12 = foliate - found in beef, liver, and chicken, fish and shellfish such as trout, salmon, tuna fish, and clams, fortified breakfast cereal, low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, eggs.

potassium sorbate = preservative

guarana = antioxidant, contains caffeine

potassium phosphate = regulates calcium, acidifies urine

Contains permitted food additives of non-animal origin.

So, from an unscientific point of view: drink a lot of water, eat a balanced diet, have a coffee after lunch - or have I missed the point?

As somebody with mild hypertension I'm now worried about all that salt in an isotonic drink!
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
So, from an unscientific point of view: drink a lot of water, eat a balanced diet, have a coffee after lunch - or have I missed the point?
Well, with that diet you will probably get insufficient preservative but I wouldn't worry about that; that can be supplied later by the undertaker.
 
I usually just put a wee bit of salt in my water if needed.

Maybe I'll see you there! I start the same day!
 
My daughter has been down for the weekend and, while she was upstairs packing to go home, I took a look at the ingredients of Aquarius (she tends to take her time), it contains:

Carbonated Water
Sucrose = sugar
Fructose = fruit sugar
citric acid = weak acid from oranges and lemons
flavourings
sodium chloride = salt
sodium citrate = sodium salt of citric acid
B vitamins:
B3 = niacin - liver, chicken breast, tuna, salmon, pork, beef, peanuts, brown rice, wholewheat
B5 = pantothenic acid – panthothenic means “from everywhere” because it is found in so many foodstuffs: mushrooms, legumes and lentils, avocados, milk, eggs, cabbage, organ meats such as liver and kidneys, white and sweet potatoes, whole-grain cereals and yeast, egg yolks, broccoli, fish, shellfish, chicken and yogurt, corn, cauliflower, kale, tomatoes, split peas, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower seeds, lobster and salmon.
B6 = pyridoxine - found in pork, chicken, turkey, cod, bread, whole cereals (such as oatmeal, wheatgerm and rice), eggs, vegetables, soya beans, peanuts, milk, potatoes and some fortified breakfast cereals.
B12 = foliate - found in beef, liver, and chicken, fish and shellfish such as trout, salmon, tuna fish, and clams, fortified breakfast cereal, low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, eggs.
potassium sorbate = preservative
guarana = antioxidant, contains caffeine
potassium phosphate = regulates calcium, acidifies urine
Contains permitted food additives of non-animal origin.

So, from an unscientific point of view: drink a lot of water, eat a balanced diet, have a coffee after lunch - or have I missed the point?

As somebody with mild hypertension I'm now worried about all that salt in an isotonic drink!

The salt is the point of the drink, it's intended to replace lost salts and water. If you are sweating heavily you can be losing quite a bit of salt, some people sweat out more than others. Amateur endurance athletes occasionally run into problems that way if they aren't aware of it, they keep drinking water but don't take in enough salt and eventually their salt levels drop so low that they are in serious trouble. That's why in very hot weather it's a good idea for most people to take in a little extra salt. A bit extra added to your food, a small pinch added to your drink bottle or an isotonic drink will do what's needed, most people don't need a lot extra. That ingredients list you give doesn't say how much salt etc there is in a bottle but most drinks of that kind are biased to be water heavy rather than salt heavy.

Do you know if your hypertension is actually salt sensitive? Salt is only a problem for about half the people who are diagnosed as hypertensive, the other half experience little effect from it. It's complicated by the fact that some people's blood pressure is affected by sugar intake. Either way you do need to replace the salt you lose if you sweat heavily and provided your kidneys are functioning normally your body will sort it out provided it has roughly the right proportions of salts and water

I am not a doctor, I'm a qualified personal trainer with a background in biology. If you're concerned, talk to your doctor or blood pressure consultant because they will be familiar with a lot more detail than I am.
 
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Hello!

I am getting into SJPDP on August 15th and plan to hike up to Roncesvalles on August 16th. I am looking for recommendations on what is the best brand of electrolyte powder or packets to buy here in the USA before I arrive, or if you think this is unnecessary. I've been hearing horror stories about the heat. I will be getting into SJPDP late August 15th and leaving as early as possible (due to the heat) on August 16th, so will not have time to buy anything there. My wife and I are both 71, but in good shape. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Warmly,

Barry
 
I just had electrolyte issues while walking the CF. Electrolyte powders and tablets are readily available in farmacias. There’s a tasty canned drink sold in the bars called Aquarius that’s similar to our sports drinks (but theirs is lower in sugar). You’ll be fine - have fun.
 
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