Water is nice—it makes up 99 percent of our bodies or whatever—but is it enough? If you have broken a sweat in the throes of physical exertion at any point in your life, or even if you've simply watched a Gatorade ad, you've probably wondered whether you also need to worry about electrolytes. If you're like us, you have furthermore asked: What are electrolytes?

To begin with, electrolytes are things like sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chloride, and hydrogen phosphate.

They're called electrolytes because they actually contain an electric charge—so yes, you're peeing electricity, which you're going to think about now, and feel like a superhero with a very specific talent.

In any case you lose these electrolytes when you sweat, and low electrolytes levels have all sorts of negative effects on muscle contraction, heartbeat regulation, and other processes that keep you upright and conscious. As such, most sports or grocery stores contain a buffet of tablets, supplements, and neon-colored beverages designed to keep your electrolytes electro-lit. But do you need to worry about electrolytes in the first place?

Unless you are an elite athlete (hi, Serena!) the answer is: probably not.

"Sports supplements are a real booming business," says registered dietician Nancy Clark, who owns a private practice in the Boston area, "but sports drinks are designed to be taken during endurance exercise."

If you're hanging at average levels of exercise—30 to 60 minutes, a couple times a week—your electrolytes will be naturally replenished by the foods you eat (assuming you don't eat like an employee of the Wonka Chocolate Factory, RIP Gene Wilder). Otherwise, the experts suggest a diet of real foods including the following:

Sodium: Good ol' table salt (but not too much table salt)

Magnesium: Dark leafy green vegetables like spinach, and nuts (almonds, cashews)

Potassium: Bananas, broccoli, citrus, sweet potatoes

Chloride: It's everywhere, but especially in celery, lettuce, and tomatoes

What's the harm in sports drinks? Well, a 20-oz. bottle of Gatorade, for instance, contains 140 calories—which means, depending on the intensity and duration of your workout, you may actually be taking in more calories than you're burning. Kinda not the point of exercise.

If you get thirsty or hot during your workout, science recommends a behavior known as "drinking water," which comes out of faucets now.