https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdJuZvilcYE&feature=youtu.be

With a blink of an eye…the Summer Games are here. So thrilling to be on the sidelines rooting for our “Team!” Seeing those athletes compete on t.v. begs the question…how do they do it? Their drive. Determination. Diligence. It’s marvelous. Around here, we’re exhausted just watching them go go go as they push their bodies to their physical limits. 

Thankfully, most of us don’t have to work quite that hard as we participate in

our own type of “game.” Whether it’s playing a sport, riding a bike, or even squeezing in that gym workout; we all run the race. Maybe not to the extent of professional athletes, but as we push our bodies to our own endurance levels, it suffers wear and tear. 

Your first concern? Dehydration. It’s serious. You already know about the importance of hydration from our “Enthuse to Infuse” post. Hydration is critical on any given day, but when you’ve been working out, you are depleting the electrolytes in your body. Electrolytes help regulate our bodily functions, including those that support our nerves and muscles. In fact, they are vital to our existence.

Replenishing electrolytes is the main reason people grab those bottles of sports drinks before, during, and after a workout. But when you flip over the bottle and look at that label~ you might be a little less enthused about what you’ve been ingesting. The sugar alone! So you’ll be happy to learn about natural alternatives to those drinks costing less with ingredients sitting right in your kitchen. (And in case you were wondering, no…we have not yet purged those beakers!)

Here’s what we’d recommend for you to try:

We mixed up this electrolyte winner straight from the kitchen pantry using basic and natural ingredients that provide vital minerals like sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium. In an 8 oz glass of distilled water – add ½ tsp sea salt, ½ tsp baking soda (reduces acids in body), juice from one lemon and 1 tsp maple syrup.  It’s that easy. Drink to your health!

Our next recipe is even more colorful as it’s inspired by oranges and limes. Start by filling a 32 oz bottle with 16 oz of (distilled) water. Next, add either a pinch of sea salt in (or baking soda.) Now for our favorite part – add in 16oz of pure citrus juice.  We opted for mostly orange, but squeeze in a couple of lemons and a lime for extra tastiness! Add ½ tsp honey which naturally helps the body absorb the minerals better.  Tasty, refreshing, healthy…score!

For our last one, we sought a time-saving option. Because if you’re anything like us, it’s always crunch time. So we started out with bottled coconut water (but any water with electrolytes would work.)  To add some additional nutrients and make it taste better – we tried adding different fresh juices to it. The verdict? Yum.  Now that we have quenched your bodies with a few replenishing and healthy drinks– we have two other naturally refreshing ideas for you before you go. 

Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Bites. Yep. That’s it. Disguised by chocolate to look like a reward, it actually boasts benefits beyond the obvious taste aspect. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium. Sea salt kicks in some needed sodium. Roll them in ground walnuts to add some omega 3 fatty acids. And the chocolate? Well, we’ve already convinced ourselves that chocolate is good for you. We’re just saying….

Finally. Those aching muscles. Shhhhh. Our secret? Adding six drops of lavender oil to your bath will ease those inflamed muscles. And just like our Lavender Air Scense, will naturally calm your inner-self too. 

Let the games begin!