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Sports Chemistry: a hybrid article
combining science and sports
By Foster Lasley
Have
you ever wondered why sometimes after a hard workout you may feel
extra tired, sore, and sometimes at times even experience muscle
spasms? It's because of a lack of salts. Not table salt so much,
(although sodium is very important), but rather electrolytes.
Electrolytes are chemicals that perform a number of tasks, one of
which being is the aid of muscle function. You can find these chemicals
in many fruits and some vegetables. One of the best fruits is bananas,
which give you lots of large amounts of potassium. You can also
find these salts (electrolytes) in various sports drinks such as
Gatorade and All-Sport. These Such drinks are especially useful
because they add water and carbohydrates to the body, which are
also desperately needed for athletic performance.
Because of their extreme ionic tendencies, electrolytes dissolve
in water. Water is especially needed because many of these electrolytes
dissolve in water-because of their ionic tendencies. Many people
who are excessively dehydrated after a workout have lost all their
electrolytes and consequently also experience weakness, soreness
and muscle spasms. This is important to remember when you or someone
you know is dehydrated excessively. Not only do they need not only
water, but also salts. Obtaining sufficient water and salts can
improve performance with a daily workout. as proper water and electrolyte
balance enhances muscle efficiency.
Here's something for all you medical missions people: in cases of
extreme dehydration due to disease or heat exhaustion, sometimes
a person will not be able to hold down anything, including water,
and consequently, they will die if they don't get help soon receive
medical attention. A missionary EMT once told me that you can actually
feed these patients Gatorade intravenously, which will help give
them all the water, sodium, potassium and sugars they need to return
to homeostasis. (Editor's note: this is not recommended medical
advice.) However, this is not recommended, as sodium chloride IV
bags work just as well and are more practical.
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