Our hydration levels are mostly dependent on a trio of minerals called potassium, sodium and chloride. They are often referred to as electrolytes. Once consumed, potassium and sodium have a positive charge while chloride has a negative one. Since our bodies are made mostly out of water, electrolytes easily move back and forth through the cell membranes carrying nutrients in and waste products out.

From my standpoint on athletic performance, one of the most important roles played by these electrolytes is to carry impulses along our nerves. If each unit of electrolytes has the responsibility, amongst other tasks, to carry information along our nerves such as muscular contraction and relaxation, the lack of balance in our bodies’ water could create traffic or slow down the stream of information traveling from our brain & spinal cord to our muscles. This is how I explain to myself the drop of performance associated with dehydration. I have assumptions on the chain of events caused by dehydration. They are the following:

 dehydration ->

 fewer information carrying electrolyte units ->

 liver working overtime to cleanse our body->

 toxins not being broken down properly ->

 body isolating the toxin by storing them in fat cells ->

 water retention in fat cells to stabilize the PH and dilute toxins =

There are many more benefits to staying hydrated than insuring proper athletic performance. Increasing the consumption of potassium in our diet could help lower our blood pressure and could reduce the odds of a stroke, no matter what other risk factor we are faced with. As straight forward as this is, dehydration is a serious matter that should not go unnoticed although it is easily prevented & provides an easy way to improve our health.