Well, we're experiencing our first heat wave of the year here in Southern California, and I've been hearing about other parts of the country also- even San Francisco!
Which is ironic.
Sort of makes you wonder with that whole Mark Twain quote "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco..." Apparently it was hotter there last week than it was down here.
Well, this week all of a sudden started being extra brutal. For those of you who don't know- I coach my daughter's local 12U Allstar softball team, and yesterday we had 2 girls cry because of the heat and having to run in it. If the 2 girls weren't coaches' kids, I'd almost feel bad!
Well, that grueling practice we had last night reminded me that it's time to start making sure we are extra diligent about replacing our electrolytes.
With all this heat, you lose a lot of essential nutrients in your sweat. You especially lose sodium, chloride, potassium, and magnesium, and it's important to replenish these before, after, and even DURING exercise. And even at certain points throughout the day if you're not exercising.
And no- I don't mean taking in one of those crummy sports drinks filled with sugars, artificial sweeteners, and who knows what else.
I've got a very simple recipe that takes about 2 minutes to make. And this will help keep your energy levels up and not feel that sense of exhaustion from the heat.
All you need to do is:
1) grab a mason jar (or any type of empty jar)
2) add 2.5-2 cups cold water
3) take half a lemon, cut it into slices, squeeze it into the jar and then add the lemon slices into it too
4) add 1/4 tsp of real sea salt or Himalayan salt (I really like realsalt.com in case you don't already have any)
5) I'll even add some magnesium from a supplement (email me at drv@healthybackandwellnessinstitute.com and I can recommend a good one for you)
6) add some ice, close up the jar, and shake it.
7) You can add raw honey if you want, but I prefer to leave out the extra sugar. If you're making it for kids, you may want to add this to sweeten it up for them.
That's it! I know there's 7 steps, but really there are like 3 steps. Super simple, and really good for you!
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you have your own electrolyte drink recipe you already make. I'd love to hear it!
Stay healthy,
Dr. V
