The Importance of Potassium

As many of us know, what we eat will affect our exercise performance.  We often focus on the macronutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and protein, but what about those micronutrients such as potassium and sodium?  In our society today, the typical American diet involves high sodium with very low potassium intake.  While both of these electrolytes are important in exercise, many of us consume too much sodium with too little potassium.  For optimal performance, we want to aim to keep our potassium-sodium levels as close to each other as possible or have potassium exceed sodium.  In short, without getting too scientific, potassium and sodium work together in sending electrical impulses to induce muscle contraction. When potassium and sodium are in balance, it can lead to better muscle contractions and thus, better performance. 

Now we know the effects of potassium, so how do we get it?  We get potassium from whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and some lean protein sources.  Some of the best sources of potassium are:

• Spinach
• Sweet potato/Potato
• Beans
• Bananas
• Salmon 
• Greek yogurt

There are many other great sources out there as well, but these are some of the best and most common.  Try adding in more whole foods to your diets and see how your performance can improve.

- SW