Sugar-free electrolytes might sound like the perfect solution—but in most cases, they don’t make much sense. Before you buy into the hype, it’s worth understanding what electrolytes actually do, when you need them, and why the ‘sugar-free’ promise isn’t the advantage it seems.

Hydration is more than “just drink more water.” In this post we break down how fluid balance impacts digestion, energy, performance, recovery, and even mood. Learn the real science behind electrolytes, why dehydration often disguises itself as hunger or fatigue, and practical ways to make hydration a habit without obsessing over supplements.

In this blog post, we’re breaking down the latest episode of Black Iron Radio, where Krissy, Amanda, and Ryann dive into the strategy behind event day nutrition as a follow up on last week’s fueling around training episode. If you’ve ever wondered what to eat before and during a big race, event, meet, or objective, this episode covers it all. We’ve taken the key points from the conversation and turned them into a clear, practical guide to help you fuel smarter to compete harder and stronger.

When you think about exercise and hydration, the first thing that comes to mind might be drinking water. While staying hydrated is certainly important, there's another aspect to consider: electrolytes.

Training in the heat can be challenging, especially if you aren’t used to it. When Black Iron Nutrition coach Amanda May moved south she realized pretty quickly that she was going to need a game plan for managing the heat; from hydration to meal timing, training volume to straight up managing her performance expectations. Similar to acclimatizing for high elevation, our bodies need to do the same thing for heat.

Many of us have been told that too much salt is not good for us, kind of like how we’ve been told saturated fat isn’t good for us (but that’s a topic for another day). Well, I’m here to let you know that much of what you’ve heard about sodium isn’t quite true for a lot of us. If you’ve ever talked to anyone in the health world, you know that as with most things the answer to, “How much sodium do I need?” is, “It depends” on the situation and the individual.