For athletes looking to stay properly hydrated, mineral water just might be exactly what you need. Whether you’re an elite triathlete, a devout yogi or just a human trying to keep up at the morning spin class, proper hydration is crucial to crushing your athletic goals. Staying hydrated boosts performance, aids with endurance and allows your body and its trillions of water-dependent cells to recover more quickly. Water can feel pretty miraculous that way. And mineral water may be even better.
Mineralized waters, such as Mountain Valley Spring Water, are naturally infused with trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. These minerals have been shown to make water, already the ultimate hydrator, even more so.
Mineral water vs. sports drinks
Not that long ago, many believed sports drinks were the holy grail for athletic hydration and recovery. That’s because sports drinks are filled with so-called “electrolytes,” which are really just minerals, like sodium and potassium, that happen to play key roles in the functions of the human body.
The thinking was, if working out and pushing your body athletically depleted it of these electrolytes, then it made sense to replace said electrolytes as quickly as possible. Early on, these sports drinks seemed like game changers for high-level athletes going through intense training. And back when the drinks were simple blends of water, sodium and magnesium, they were.
Over time, however, sports drinks became much more commercialized and processed — more loaded with sugar, dyes and additives. Where sports drinks were once consumed only by top-tier athletes, these drinks soon filtered down to everyday athletes, and to non-athletes, and even to children playing soccer, T-Ball or just sitting around, hanging out.
As these sugary drinks became household staples, researchers began to question their necessity. Humans have been drinking plain, simple water to stay hydrated for thousands of years, and scientists realized, for the vast majority of people — including athletes — water is all one needs.
Experts now firmly agree that nothing hydrates better than good old-fashioned H20. And if that H2O happens to be naturally infused with trace minerals, all the merrier.
The beauty of Mountain Valley Spring Water and other naturally mineral-rich waters, is that they contain no sugar, no dyes, no additives whatsoever. Our water comes by its magnesium, calcium and potassium thanks to thousands of years of work by Mother Nature herself. This is water at its most healthful and most hydrating. Mountain Valley Spring Water is water as nature intended.
The minerals in mineral water absorb differently
What makes mineral water, mineral water? According to the Food & Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water in the United States, natural mineral waters must contain at least 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids that originate from a “protected underground water source.” Basically, naturally mineralized waters, such as Mountain Valley Spring Water, must come from the earth already mineralized.
Those “total dissolved solids” often include the ones mentioned above: magnesium, calcium and potassium, as well as zinc and sodium. While these trace minerals are found in many foods, research has shown that our bodies can absorb these minerals far more easily and effectively when we consume them via water.
While minerals in food are bound to complex molecules that can interfere with their absorption into the body, minerals in water are present as free ions, which are more easily absorbed and utilized by the body.
The benefits of mineral water for athletes
While athletes don’t need sugar-laden sports drinks to keep them going, not all waters are created equally. Mineral-rich waters such as Mountain Valley Spring Water offer the trace elements for which sports drinks were once prized — potassium, magnesium, calcium — but without all the processed nonsense that has made those drinks overkill for many.
How exactly do the trace minerals found in Mountain Valley Spring Water help athletes?
Let’s take a look …
Magnesium: Helps maintain proper nerve and muscle function, heart rhythm, blood pressure and much more; plays a key role in energy production and storage, and is believed to boost athletic performance and recovery
Potassium: Necessary for muscle contraction and relaxation; plays a critical role in the formation of sweat; supports intense training sessions; maintains healthy blood pressure and heart function; may help prevent post-exercise exhaustion
Calcium: Plays a key role in muscle contraction; essential to bone health and bone density; aids in proper nerve functioning; promotes healthy blood clotting
Mineral water for athletes: The Mountain Valley breakdown
Nestled in a remote valley in the Ouachita Mountains of the Southern United States, the spring from which every sip of Mountain Valley Spring Water springs forth is surrounded by 2,000 acres of protected forest. Our award-winning water is the perfect result of a 3,500-year journey, each drop slowly filtering into granite-based aquifers, then back to the earth’s surface through layers of limestone, quartz and marble that naturally imbue our water with its prized minerals.
What makes these minerals even more special is the natural alkalinity they give Mountain Valley Spring Water. Our water has a slightly basic pH range of 7.2 to 7.4. This bit of alkalinity may help balance the overly acidic foods that have come to dominate the modern diet. Alkaline water has also been shown to enhance exercise performance.
At Mountain Valley Spring Water, we think our water can’t be beat. And we have the water quality tests to prove it, including our most recent from 2023.
The minerals that make Mountain Valley Spring Water so great:
- Calcium: 67 milligrams/liter
- Magnesium: 7.2 mg/L
- Potassium: 1.4 mg/L
- pH range: 7.2 to 7.4
Mineral water for athletes — delivered
Sure, we’ve got the minerals, the alkalinity, the deliciously easy absorption to fuel your athletic lifestyle — but perhaps the best part of enjoying Mountain Valley Spring Water?
We make it so, so easy.
You can find Mountain Valley at your favorite grocery stores and restaurants, or you can get the good stuff delivered directly to your doorstep. Mountain Valley Spring Water offers home and office delivery of our purely sourced, purely thirst-quenching mineralized spring water throughout the U.S. All you have to do is click, and then it’s right back to your workout.
Get started with Mountain Valley Spring Water delivery here.
