Electrolytes, Cramps and the Hierarchy Most People Get Backwards

By Precious, One Life Health Consultant · June 2026 · 5 min read

It's mid-winter, you're indoors all day, the gym is dark when you arrive and dark when you leave — and you're cramping at 2am or dragging by mid-afternoon. Before you blame your training or your age: when did you last think about your electrolytes?

Sodium, potassium and magnesium run every muscle contraction and nerve signal in your body. South Africans tend to think of electrolytes as a summer-marathon thing — but winter training, heated offices, endless coffee and low-carb eating all drain them quietly. Here's how we'd think it through at the counter.

The short version

• Cramping at night or during training? Sodium first, then potassium, then magnesium — in that order, not the reverse.
• On a low-carb or keto eating plan? You're flushing sodium daily. An electrolyte mix isn't optional.
• Training over an hour, or sweating heavily? 500–700mg sodium per hour of activity.
• Drinking 2L+ of plain water a day? You may be diluting your electrolytes — add a pinch of quality salt or a sugar-free electrolyte sachet.

The cramp hierarchy most people get backwards

The reflex when cramping starts is to buy magnesium. Magnesium helps — but in our experience the more common driver is sodium, especially in anyone training hard, eating low-carb, or sweating through a Gauteng summer. The practical order: fix sodium first (an electrolyte mix with real sodium content), then potassium (mostly through food — bananas, potatoes, oranges), then a daily evening magnesium if cramps persist.

Who actually needs an electrolyte supplement

Low-carb and keto eaters — when insulin drops, your kidneys excrete sodium aggressively. The "keto flu" is mostly an electrolyte deficit. Endurance and CrossFit athletes — anything over an hour of real sweat. Heavy coffee drinkers — caffeine is a mild diuretic. Anyone on diuretic blood-pressure medication — but talk to your doctor before supplementing sodium or potassium; this one genuinely needs medical sign-off.

What to look for on the label

Real sodium content (300–700mg per serve — not the token 50mg in sports drinks), potassium alongside it, magnesium in an absorbable form, and no sugar unless you're using it as in-race fuel. Sugar-free sachets in a water bottle are the cleanest daily format.

What we'd skip

Sugary sports drinks as a daily habit (you're buying sugar water with trace minerals), and "hydration" products that don't declare their sodium content — if the label hides the number, it's usually because the number is embarrassing.

Your One Life shortcut

Browse our electrolyte collection — from sugar-free daily sachets to endurance formulas — or pair an electrolyte mix with an evening magnesium from the magnesium collection if cramps are your main complaint. Not sure which fits your training and eating pattern? WhatsApp me — tell me how you train and eat, and I'll narrow it down. Free, no pressure.

This article is for information only and is not medical advice. On blood-pressure or kidney medication? Check with your doctor before supplementing sodium or potassium.

From the apothecary shelf

Three products we'd hand a customer asking for a starting point. Not a paid placement — these are what we actually take, recommend, or keep at the front of the shelf.