I’ve always laughed at people who go running in ludicrous lycra, with their pretty little water bottle filled with pathetic overpriced and overhyped sports drinks clutched in their sad little hands. I used to run 10km with no water at all, never needed it. Well as some of you know I recently had severe cramp in my right calf, and although I drink a liter of water during a hockey session, several people including a personal trainer have suggested that I lack salt. And salt loss is known to be associated with cramp. So, a couple of weeks ago I picked up some hydration tablets, which contain various salts including sodium and potassium. I now add one to a bottle of water for hockey, and general skating, but only drink a glassful for the latter.
I am also taking care to drink more water during the day, as I had rather dark and smelly urine, a sign of dehydration.
I used to have restless legs at night making it hard to get to sleep. No longer. And after hockey my legs now feel really good. Of course I still feel exhausted once the adrenaline subsides. So do hydration salts help? Yes they do. Not a scientifically controlled experiment of course, but if you sweat a lot, and your skin ends up salty, then I suggest you try them. I suppose you could add table salt to water, but apparently you need potassium salts as well as sodium.
And on a related note, I have found that stretching and exercising in a gym helps improve balance on ice, significantly in my unscientific view, which rather surprised me given my previously unsporty personality and lifestyle.