Electrolytes & Magnesium
You know what walking into the supplement aisle feels like? It’s like walking into Times Square in New York City — blinded by all the lights, all the people, and not knowing where to look. Thousands of brands. Thousands of supplements. Men’s, women’s, multivitamins, pre-workouts, post-workouts — you name it.
Even for me, it can still feel overwhelming. I’ve stood in that aisle more times than I can count, reading labels for 10–15 minutes, comparing ingredients, and still walking out empty-handed because I wasn’t confident about what I actually needed.
A big reason we even feel pulled into that aisle is because of what we see online. Everyone is advertising something different for more energy, better recovery, fat loss, better sleep, fewer cramps — and it all sounds great. But most of the time, they don’t explain why your body might actually need certain supplements in the first place. So let’s slow it down and talk about one of the most important foundations: electrolytes and magnesium.
The Workout Struggles You Might Be Blaming on Training
Have you ever finished a workout dealing with muscle cramps, low energy, poor pumps, or soreness that lasts for days? Most people instantly blame their program, their weights, or their form. And sometimes that’s true. But not always.
A lot of the time, it’s actually an internal issue — your electrolytes are off, and magnesium is usually the biggest one missing.
What Electrolytes Actually Are
Electrolytes are minerals that dissolve in your body fluids and carry an electrical charge. That electrical charge is what allows your nerves to fire, your muscles to contract, and your heart to beat properly. They’re found in your blood, your cells, your sweat, and even your brain and spinal fluid. They constantly move in and out of your cells to keep your internal environment stable.
The main ones we focus on are sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, phosphate — and magnesium.
Your body does get electrolytes naturally from food and fluids. But you are also losing them all day long through sweat, urination, breathing, heat exposure (especially for my Arizona people), and stress. When you add in hard training, long workouts, low-carb diets, heavy caffeine use, digestive issues, poor sleep, or high stress levels, those losses add up fast. That’s when deficiency symptoms start to show up as fatigue, cramps, dizziness, brain fog, poor recovery, and stubborn soreness.
Why Each Electrolyte Matters
Sodium controls fluid balance and helps maintain blood volume. This directly affects circulation, blood pressure, and oxygen delivery to working muscles. During training, sodium helps you maintain endurance, prevents dizziness, and keeps your performance from crashing midway through a workout.
Potassium controls muscle contractions and nerve signals. When potassium is low, muscles cramp more easily and strength output drops. It also plays a critical role in heart rhythm, which is why it’s so important during intense training sessions.
Calcium triggers muscle contractions and supports communication between nerves and muscles. It’s involved in literally every movement you make, from heavy lifts in the gym to walking, chewing, and breathing. Long term, calcium is also essential for bone density and osteoporosis prevention.
Chloride helps regulate fluid balance and supports proper stomach acid production. That means better digestion, better nutrient absorption, and lower risk of dehydration during hard training.
Phosphate forms ATP, which is your body’s main unit of energy. Every contraction of every muscle depends on ATP. Without enough phosphate, strength drops, fatigue rises, and endurance takes a major hit. It also plays a role in muscle repair after workouts.
Magnesium — The One Everyone Is Talking About (For Good Reason)
Magnesium is technically an electrolyte, but it deserves its own spotlight. It is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body and is one of the most commonly deficient minerals, especially in people who train hard, sweat often, live stressed-out lives, or rely heavily on stimulants.
About 99% of your body’s magnesium is stored in your muscles, bones, and tissues. That’s why it has such a massive impact on physical performance and recovery.
Magnesium helps shuttle blood sugar into your muscles so you actually have usable energy during training. It also helps clear lactate from the muscles, which is one of the major contributors to fatigue and that burning sensation during hard sets. This is why people often notice better pumps, more endurance, and less soreness when their magnesium intake improves.
It also plays a big role in muscle relaxation after contractions, supports deeper sleep by helping regulate melatonin, helps manage stress by calming the nervous system, supports mood, and improves blood sugar regulation. Recovery, sleep, stress, performance — magnesium touches all of it.
For most people, 350–450 mg per day is best. Magnesium chloride is best for muscle relaxation, and magnesium citrate is the best-absorbed form.
When to Take Magnesium (Based on Your Goals)
When you take magnesium really depends on your goals. If your focus is performance, you can take it about 1–2 hours before your workout to help reduce fatigue and support energy production, since magnesium plays a key role in triggering ATP (your body’s main energy source).
If your main goal is recovery, relaxation, or better sleep, taking magnesium in the evening is a great option. It helps calm the nervous system, relax muscles, and support deeper, higher-quality sleep.
You can also get magnesium naturally from foods like dark leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard), nuts and seeds (almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews), avocados, bananas, whole grains, beans, lentils, and even dark chocolate. Supplements just help fill the gaps when your intake or needs are higher
Electrolyte Supplements You Can Actually Use
If you’re training consistently, sweating a lot, traveling, or living in a hot climate, adding in an electrolyte supplement can significantly improve hydration, performance, and recovery. The key is choosing one that contains sodium, potassium, and magnesium without being overloaded with sugar.
Some solid options people commonly use include:
LMNT
Liquid I.V.
Redmond Re-Lyte
Nuun Sport
Ultima Replenisher
Natural Electrolyte Foods:
Sodium: Sea salt, olives, pickles, broth
Potassium: Bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach, beans
Calcium: Milk, yogurt, cheese, kale, tofu
Chloride: Sea salt, tomatoes, celery, olives
Phosphate: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, whole grains
You can use electrolytes before workouts for better pumps and endurance, during long or high-intensity training to prevent performance drop-off, and after workouts to speed up rehydration and recovery. They’re also useful on high-stress or extremely hot days even if you’re not training.
The Bottom Line
Supplements should never replace real food — but when your training, stress levels, heat exposure, and lifestyle start demanding more than food alone can provide, electrolytes and magnesium stop being optional and start becoming tools.
They directly support performance, hydration, muscle contractions, nerve function, energy production, recovery, sleep, and long-term bone health.
You don’t need everything in the supplement aisle. You just need what actually supports your body.
-Coach Lauren