Beat the Heat!

Welcome to Summer!

On June 21st, 2025, we celebrated the summer solstice, thus welcoming in the official summer season! On top of that, we have a big heat dome setting into the area that will bring high temperatures and our favorite flavor of humidity (being sarcastic here!). With June 23rd serving as “National Hydration Day”, let’s discuss how YOU can best hydration before, during, and after activities or just for living everyday life.

Our bodies lose sweat through perspiration, we know this. What some do not know is that we also lose electrolytes with our sweat. Electrolytes consist of not just sodium (table salt), but we also lose potassium, calcium, and magnesium in varying amounts. All these electrolytes combined help our muscles and nerves work properly. In short, they help regular heart rate, blood pressure, pH levels, and blood sugar control. Electrolytes are carried through fluids. One such fluid is water, ah, the thing of life.

Every person is different! As an individual, you can lose different amounts of electrolytes and fluid in our sweat, in different concentrations over time. Being hotter outside accelerates our base sweat rate to keep us cooler. It’s more obvious how much we sweat when the humidity is higher and the sweat doesn’t evaporate off our skin as fast. If you’ve ever noticed white crystals or residue on clothing like hats or shorts after sweating a lot, or even dried on your face, these are some of the electrolytes you’ve lost, just where you can see them!

One person may need more water than sodium, one person might need more sodium in their water than others, and someone else may have even fewer needs to meet bodily demands. Sometimes swelling in the extremities can occur, like “sausage fingers”. This can indicate an imbalance of electrolytes. Too much sodium is called hypernatremia, and too little is called hyponatremia.

The best thing to do is getting hydrated before you need to be outside, and then supplementing along the way, then afterwards getting some more to top off your stores. Here at RunAbout, we have plenty to keep you going no matter what the conditions are outside. If you are running, working out, or even doing yardwork at home, you might want to consider having a carbohydrate (calories) along with your electrolyte, and we have some combined products that have both.

Know the symptoms of dehydration, if not just for yourself, possibly for others too!

• Feeling of thirst

• Darker/stronger odor urine

• Dizzy/light-headed

• Dry mouth

• Fatigue

• Headache

Something else to take note of during this summer season is heat exhaustion. Here are the symptoms to look out for:

• Cooler skin with goosebumps in the heat

• Heavy sweating

• Faintness, fatigue, weakness

• Muscle cramps

• Nausea

• Headache

As you can see, some of these symptoms overlap. Stay aware out there and take care of yourself. Try and get outdoor work done in the cooler hours of the day or put them off until it’s safer to be outside for prolonged periods of time. If you must be outside, take a moment every so often to do a self-check, take breaks often, and take a step back from your normal efforts. And most importantly stay on top of your hydration. You may need more than you think on days like this.

For those looking to do a little digging on products we carry, what electrolyte/calorie content they contain, and other factors which may influence hydration and recovery, check out this handy chart to know what you’re buying or find solutions for your next hydration ‘solution’! 

	Calories?	Sodium	Potassium	Calcium	Magnesium
Huma Hydration	Low	380mg	100mg	25mg	40mg
Tailwind Endurance Fuel*	Yes!	310mg	90mg	27mg	12mg
Scratch Sports Drink Mix	Yes!	400mg	50mg	53mg	49mg
LMNT	Low	1000mg	200mg	-	60mg
SaltStick Chews (2 chews)	Low	100mg	30mg	10mg	6mg
SaltStick Electrolyte Capsules	None	215mg	63mg	22mg	11mg
Nuun Sport Hydration	Low	300mg	40mg	13mg	25mg

*This is for a scoop of powder (a single serving from the larger bags; the single serving for the single packets are double what is on the chart above.

-Written by Steph Dannenberg, staffer at RunAbout Sports Roanoke and finisher of countless races including several full Ironman distances, not the least of which is the Kona Ironman. Steph is a great resource for endurance athletes struggling to nail down fueling strategies- stop by or send us an email for her helpful tips!