Salt series VI: Salt and exercise
I tell you a little pro tip here: 0.5 teaspoon of red mineral salt before training and you will just fucking thrive and kill your workout!
As you lose salt through exercise (remember: 0.5-1 teaspoon per hour, depending on intensity and climate), it makes sense to replace it prior. Especially when you read on and discover why salt is so great for exercising! It's basically the cheapest pre, intra and post workout supplement out there ;P
Salt is the best substance to increase blood circulation, because it dilates arteries; it acts as a vasodilator. As the surface of the arteries gets bigger, it helps release heat. In fact, a study showed that when exercising in heat in a low salt state compared to an optimal salted state, the body temperature was higher. Because of the missing vasodilation, the heat could not get away as easily and the body could not cool itself well. Getting some salt before training helps you prevent overheating.
As we know, increased vasodilation means reduced blood pressure and lower heart rate. (Wait, was that not exactly what we're actually trying to achieve with a LOW salt diet...?! Yep.) You have increased blood flow and this decreases cramping too! Awesome :D
Another very cool effect: it decreases acid accumulation in the cell and thus reduces cramping and soreness! Acid is referred to hydrogen (H+) ions in an aqueous solution, like in a cell. To get it out, the cell is equipped with highways called Sodium Hydrogen transporters: To excrete H+ you have to absorb sodium. But what if there's no sodium? Exactly. This transporter does not work and the acid remains in the cell. Cramping and muscle spasms, signs of overtraining, are actually a depletion of salt in tissues.
Here a study: People who exercised for 1 hour a day and consumed the top amount of what is recommended (2000-2300mg salt) became deficient in salt! Even with the recommendations met! And this has very, very bad consequences.
The link between salt and weak bones
In order to ensure adequate sodium levels in the blood, thei body's of the people from the study above were pulling sodium from the bones! At the same time, osteoclasts (a type of bone cells that help pull out minerals when needed and they are NOT smart enough unfortunately to only pull sodium) pulled calcium and magnesium out of the bones as well!
Calcium and magnesium were then found in high levels in the urine, as the body was literally spitting it out because it did not need it at the moment.
Conclusion 1: We blame salt but it's actually a solution for disease states we blame it for. Low salt diets can contribute to weaker bones, osteopenia, and osteoporosis due to mineral loss. Blaming a high salt diet for osteoporosis is just bullshit. In fact, salt increases the absorption of calcium!
Conclusion 2: Resistance training and other workouts do increase bone mass and strength because of certain hormones elevated through movement. BUT it might be counterproductive if we do not consume enough salt for the amount of exercise we do! We are even putting up the risk for weak bones.
Read the next article here: Salt vs. sugar and the link to increased risk for drug and sugar addiction
