Electrolytes

I'm kind of angry at Gatorade.

Since the beginning, they've been toting the fact that their drinks contain "electrolytes" which must be replenished after a hard workout. And while that's true, I think they're taking a little too much credit. By using the word "electrolyte", they're hoping you'll conjure up images of a team of mad scientists working dangerously with electricity and chemicals to create a complex and intricate balance of ion substances that are so volatile that any slight jarring would cause a massive explosion.

Not quite.

A first glance at the definition of electrolytes might indeed make you think the Gatorade people are super smart:

"any substance that dissociates into ions when dissolved in a suitable medium or melted and thus forms a conductor of electricity"

But let's keep reading:

"...mainly sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride..."

That's right. Gatorade was successfully able to mix water with salt.

Bravo.

But I guess we need to give them credit for all of those neato colors.

It just proves that if you use big enough words, you can sound smarter than you actually are.

Next time I finish a long run, I'm drinking water and eating some potato chips.