With carbs or zero sugar: which electrolyte fits your day?

An electrolyte drink mix dissolves minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride in water. The first choice is whether you want carbs in the bottle. LyteSpeed Hydration Sticks mix electrolytes with carbohydrate. Building Blox, the maker, says they suit people who train for more than an hour, such as runners and squash or tennis players. LyteSpeed ZERO drops the sugar. It lists sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride, and its maker designed it for daily drinking.

Sticks, tubs or gels?

• Single sticks: one LyteSpeed stick is 35 g, mixed with 500 ml of cold water
• Stick packs: Limitless Hydrate in Original, Charge, Keto and Glow
• Powders: LyteSpeed Electrolyte Sports Drink takes one scoop in 400 to 500 ml of water, and LyteSpeed ZERO lists 60 servings per container, mixed at 1 to 2 scoops in 500 ml
• Gels: Carbon Nutrition Energy Gel, a multi-carb gel in orange, lemon and lime, or mixed berries

Sticks fit a gym bag and need no measuring. A tub works out better if you drink one every day at home or at work.

Check the extras before you mix

The four Limitless Hydrate packs share an electrolyte base but add different extras. Original lists 2,389 mg of electrolytes per serving. Charge adds 100 mg of natural caffeine. Keto adds magnesium, MCT oil and L-carnitine. Glow adds collagen and vitamin C.

If you train for over an hour, start with LyteSpeed sticks. For everyday drinking without sugar, pick LyteSpeed ZERO. More products for long sessions sit on the endurance and performance and intra-workout pages.