LMNT Electrolyte Additive: Quick Review – by Grannygear
It is not very often that one single product brings such a paradigm shift, such a complete change of the status quo, that it rocks you to the core. And not just any core. My core. Rocked. So, I have been riding bikes for nearly 40 years now and all that time I have had one Achilles heel. One Kryptonite – Leg cramps.
I am not in expert in anything except cramping up. I have never bonked. I can ride for hours and miles, never fast, but steady. But I have been in dire straights where I was cramping from my feet to my butt, 30 miles from nowhere with no support in sight. I have tried every pill and potion for electrolytes with none of them really doing much. I had read everything on cramping I could find.
Then I found pickle juice and that was very good for warding off the inevitable, although it’s not very sustainable as a supplement, more like crisis management.
So what to do? Despair?
Then, last year, I was watching a YouTube video from The Move with Lance Armstrong and his merry men commenting on the Tour de France. One of the sponsors was a company called LMNT, an electrolyte additive to a water bottle. Of course, according to Lance it was a miracle product, but then it’s a sponsor, so….big grain of salt there (no pun intended).
But then later, and I do not recall where it was, I was watching or listening to a conversation with the founder of LMNT as he discussed the product. He called out a list of symptoms that a healthy athlete might be experiencing if they are chronically low in certain minerals, etc. Not cramping, really, more like energy or fatigue, and I was able to identify several of those symptoms in myself.
I was intrigued. I ordered a sample pack and gave it a try, mixing a packet into a water bottle on a few rides to see how I felt. The result was remarkable.
It seemed like I had more legs on those rides and my ability to recover from a hard effort and push again on the next hill was increased. I also swore I was less tired the next day with very little muscle soreness.
I ordered a full box of packets and have been using it ever since. Mrs. Grannygear too. It has been, as far as my cycling efforts, life changing, and I do not say that lightly. Noted benefits have been:
- No cramping even on long days and hard efforts. Not yet anyway, and although I cannot say it is gone forever, I am pretty sure I would have had it by now based on my history. I know my body well enough.
- An increased ability to push hard, then rest, then push hard again and again on a ride. It’s real and very satisfying.
- Less fatigue after the ride, both at night, and the next day.
It has been repeatable and reliable. It’s more than just being better on the bike, there is something in LMNT that my body needed for life. I even put some (unflavored) in my Bulletproof coffee on in-between ride days.
I appreciate the no-sugar aspect to the mix as lately I have been reducing sugar in my diet (among other diet changes, HFLC eating, and, just recently, Intermittent Fasting), so I would prefer to get any sugars in the food I eat while riding rather than a syrupy bottle mix. I tend to have high blood sugar levels, I think a genetic pre-disposition. However my experience with LMNT predates this change by months.
LMNT has been, for me, as close to a miracle drug as it gets. Now of course, this is my experience and yours might be completely different. Of course, anytime we are talking about putting something into your body, you need to be careful that it is safe for you to use.
I am a fan. More than that, a believer. More than that. I am profoundly grateful. Thanks LMNT.
For more details on LMNT Electrolyte see their website here: https://drinklmnt.com/
NOTE: Grannygear and Guitar Ted purchased LMNT Electrolyte additive with their own money. The LMNT products were not provided by LMNT and we were not paid, nor bribed for this review. We will always strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout.