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Kiwi-family said:Our rule of thumb is that if you pee is not clear, you need to be drinking more.
Kiwi-family said:Something tells me that pilgrims 500 years ago wouldn't have had electrolyte drinks :wink:
I'm sure we modern-day sorts will do fine without them too.
Good question MaryHi folks
I'm wondering if there is some physiological connection between being somewhat dehydrated due to exercise and not drinking sufficient water and feet swelling up? Some people have commented about needing to throw out their dearly beloved usual boots and buy a bigger size after a week on the camino in hot weather. I am trying to figure out if maybe you drink enough so your urine is pale, your feet won't swell? Otherwise I guess you need bigger boots, a selection of different sock options...
Mary
I'm going to bring some electrolyte tablets with sodium, potassium, magnesium and a few other things. I read that as you get older, and I'm 68, your body handles electrolytes differently. Since I plan to eat just light snacks while walking, I will not be getting electrolytes that way.
My first long walk last Sunday in the Texas heat, I drank 3 liters of plain water and ran out the last few miles. I drank orange juice on the trip back home but got terrible leg cramps until I was able to eat 2 bananas and a couple of glasses of a WHO rehydration recipe I found on the internet. This was not a pleasant experience.
The drink Aquarius found in the stores and bars helped me with cramps while on the Camino. When I found out about them, I then drank a can everyday. All natural drink with minerals.I'm going to bring some electrolyte tablets with sodium, potassium, magnesium and a few other things. I read that as you get older, and I'm 68, your body handles electrolytes differently. Since I plan to eat just light snacks while walking, I will not be getting electrolytes that way.
My first long walk last Sunday in the Texas heat, I drank 3 liters of plain water and ran out the last few miles. I drank orange juice on the trip back home but got terrible leg cramps until I was able to eat 2 bananas and a couple of glasses of a WHO rehydration recipe I found on the internet. This was not a pleasant experience.
We take Diarolyte sachets from the UK (mix up to 200mls). The Spanish sachets we have used are 'Casen Sueroral' (mix up to 1 lt) - both replace essential salts etc. We also eat bananas. This last Camino we found that we needed the drinks many afternoons so were mixing up one of the the Spanish sachets between us. We also have found that we have needed the salts/bananas/a lick of salt for several days since arriving home, otherwise we were getting cramp at night.I'm going to bring some electrolyte tablets with sodium, potassium, magnesium and a few other things. I read that as you get older, and I'm 68, your body handles electrolytes differently. Since I plan to eat just light snacks while walking, I will not be getting electrolytes that way.
My first long walk last Sunday in the Texas heat, I drank 3 liters of plain water and ran out the last few miles. I drank orange juice on the trip back home but got terrible leg cramps until I was able to eat 2 bananas and a couple of glasses of a WHO rehydration recipe I found on the internet. This was not a pleasant experience.
Aquarius and the new alternative will cost you a fortune. In a bar a small bottle can set you back 1.50€, if you are lucky you will pay that for a can. In towns where threre are supermarkets you can find, for the same price, a 1.5l. Bottle. In my opinion, you are much better off with effervescent capsules that you cam use wether or not you are near a bar.The drink Aquarius found in the stores and bars helped me with cramps while on the Camino. When I found out about them, I then drank a can everyday. All natural drink with minerals.
My accupuncturist recommended Zym. They come in a version with and another withiout caffeine. But I have alsi bought Nuun ang Gu Brew. Not sure what the difference is between them other than Zym being difficult to find where I live so I have replaced them by the other two. 1 tablet goes in 3 cups of water. I normally take 2 or 3 a day, depending on how much sweating I've done. On my first Camino I got to a point of not being able to take 3 steps in a row after 20 km per day. Never happened since, but after that incident I discovered electrolytes. Are they the solutions? I like o think soAnemone, is there an effervescent capsule you prefer?
I have met several references (both in posts and also in various camino blogs) about the necessity of adding electrolytes to your intake on the camino – either on an occasional or regular basis.
A great number of persons seems to find this to be an important issue, so I finally googled and found that it seems to be something (some basic salts?) you will need to add to your food intake to keep your body functioning – in the form of some sports beverages?
I am still full of question marks – which beverages would these be? At which times? Any Spanish brands, we should seek out?
At the time, I always found that a café con leche was the perfect 'pick-me-up' solution to get me onwards, accompanied by dried fruit and salted nuts along the way (and regular meals).
But I also now wonder whether it would have been lack of additional electrolytes which made me feel so lethargic and low down about a week into the walk – I had no pains but to my surprise, I could hardly drag my feet to the close-by shop to get some provisions nor walk back. Maybe it was only my body telling to slow down for a bit.
It would be good if somebody might provide information and advise about this (electrolytes) – from a general but especially a camino point of view.
Kindest Annelise (Denmark)
@Stivandrer its a while since @annelise posed this question, indeed she has not been back to the forum for a year now. Though I'm sure your suggested product will be helpful to Danish pilgrims who can track it down
For all members, it is worth checking the age of posts before responding.
@bbates225 in my field experience and limited knowledge it is extremely unlikely to the point of improbability that your 'nearly' passing-out while standing in church had anything even remotely to do with electrolyte levels unless you were a) extremely de-hydrated, or b) hyponatremic from drinking excessive amounts of water.
Please consult a medical practitioner, not this forum.
That must have been a worrying experience but if you were in a church service it is probable that you had been standing, sitting, standing, kneeling, standing, kneeling and so on - I have had a similar experience. You should really get checked out by your doctor if you are concerned but what it sounds like is the normal thing that happens when we stand up too quickly and the blood drains away from the head.
Re 'sports drinks' - stay away from them! They are full of sugar and therefore play havoc with your blood glucose system.
As for electroylite replenishment ... well, with a 'normal' lifestyle in moderate temperatures and a balanced diet you shouldn't need them but if you are doing something like a Camino in summer where you are walking all day with a pack and drinking copious amounts of water then two or three Dioralite sachets a day will keep your system in balance. The main problem is leaching out salt and without salt we collapse, so never be afraid to add salt to food - I say this about healthy individuals, those with medical conditions should take advice.
I say again about sports drinks - this is clever marketing hype .. read the labels and you will find that they are actually sugar drinks that give a short term glucose spike .. but twenty minutes later your glucose levels are lower than when you drank it. Not only that but the body releases insulin to try and control the sugar spike - do that for a few years and you will develop insulin resistance and then diabetes 11 - so never drink any sugar drink - the same goes for 'sports bars' - they are just sugar bars and have no health or sports benefits whatsoever.
Hope this helps.
Buen Camino.
I have 20 years of backpacking experience. Real backpacking. Not walking Camino trails. I've never used electrolyte packets. This includes a 20 day trek through the Himalayas in extreme heat and altitudes of 23,000ft. The secret was drinking a lot of water, being in excellent physical shape, trail mix with salty nuts and fruits, and eating a balanced meal (with salt added) that didn't involve dehydrating with alcohol. After reading literally dozens and dozens of posts by people on this forum who claim to only take a small bottle of water to refill through out the day, I'm convinced that most of the issues is simple dehydration. The early symptoms of which are simply unknown to them because of the sheer inexperience of real exercise in their lives prior to the Camino. Older pilgrims have to be even more careful of this.
There are times when electrolytes are used by extreme athletes. The Camino, as many of you have pointed out, is just a walk. Stay well hydrated (alcohol is not the way to do that) during the day. Don't be afraid to drink 2-3 liters of water when it's hot out.
Take your electrolyte sachets. Use them if you think you need them. But consult your physicians before you leave if you are older and have any sort of blood pressure or heart issues.
I don't care if you disregard my advice. It's given freely and no "likes" are expected or needed
Safe travels to all.
Like the man said, start with the doctor, any issues from low blood pressure to lack of sleep.
I only take electrolytes with me with when I know I will excert too much & and sweat excessively over a period of time.
As experience have told me..
On a normal day to day you don´t normally need extra trace minerals....
And was your incident a single or a recurring event !??
See your GP soon !
Nice post AlaskaD - I don't think happy pilgrims need the sachets .. only if they are finding themselves weak and/or dizzy or have diarrhoea. A lot of folk out there in summer do not have outdoorsy bodies, they are just not used to it. And they can be drinking a lot of wine in the evenings, and eating bland and overcooked pilgrim meals .... then drinking vast amounts of water ... this can lead to imbalances that have them feeling weaker instead of stronger from the exercise and in those situations I offer the sachets.
Many electrolyte replenishment preparations contain Sorbitol an artificial sweetener that has a marked laxative effect . A large dose each day to combat dehydration may in fact lead to further loss of fluid and essential minerals through the resultant loose stools / diarrhoea .
If cramps are a real problem they can be treated and prevented by drinking naturally sweetened Tonic water , this is often used to combat the debilitating cramps sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis endure .
Where do you buy the Magnesium Effervescent tablets?On my caminos be it during warm or cooler temps,I drink Aquarius,water,take my morning daily tab of Magnesium Effervescent that dissolves in water, and I am well hydrated and do not get the muscle cramping and fatigue feeling. Works for me,and I know that in 1-1/2 hr intervals I am needing to urinate ,which means one is well hydrated.
No doubt electrolyte balance is an important issue about which to be aware, but simply taking in more salts (as table salt or in so-called sports drinks) needs to be done with caution. Excess salt can also have deleterious effects, both in the short and long term.
I normally take a couple of packets of a re-hydration mix in my medical kit in case I get diarrhoea, when fluid balance generally can be badly disrupted, but I didn't need to use them on the Camino. I didn't suffer muscle cramps or dizziness that might have indicated that I was getting too little salt either. If I had, I might have been tempted to add some more salt to my food.
I found that just straight water was sufficient for re-hydration, and I didn't need to resort to sports drinks or the like.
Regards,
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