The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for sodium is 2400 mg (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). For a bigger guy like me who eats 3,000 calories, that would be the equivalent of 3600 mg. However, I found that most of the time I came in above that. I averaged about 4,000-4,500 mg of sodium per day the whole time I followed my 1900 calorie fat shredder and 3,000 calorie balanced diet.
So, is that okay? Are there risks I was taking by having that much sodium? Well, it depends. I can’t tell any of you how much sodium is okay for you because each of our bodies are different, and sodium is both a necessary part of our diet (our bodies NEED some), but it can also exacerbate any tendencies we have toward heart disease and high blood pressure if we take in too much.
First, as a rule of thumb, we need to consider that the RDA is based on the AVERAGE American. The average American is lazy and gets nearly no exercise. We are doing intense exercise for an hour every day and sweating our tails off! We are losing a lot of sodium through perspiration that the average American isn’t. Thus, it’s okay in my opinion if we consume more sodium than the average American. But how much more? I’ll get to that in a minute.
Second, evaluate your personal risk factors. I monitored my blood work and blood pressure to be sure I was staying healthy and not fueling any sort of long term heart problems. Part of doing all of this is to be healthy for life, and any of you with a family or personal history of heart disease or high blood pressure are simply going to have to watch your sodium closer than I do. I don’t have a family history, and even when I was fat my blood pressure was within normal limits. I can get away with going higher on sodium and not have any blood pressure concerns. That may not be the case with you, so be smart!
The biggest contributors to sodium in our diets are processed foods like lunchmeat, jerky, cheese, etc. Also, lots of seasonings, condiments, soft drinks and cereals have quite a bit. So look at labels, and look for ways to substitute lower-sodium foods if this is an area of concern for you. I want all of us to be heart healthy! Ironically, most people think that to limit sodium they should hide the salt shaker. While limiting the amount of salt you sprinkle on your food is a good idea, you’d be surprised to see how SMALL a % of your sodium intake is actually from a salt shaker. The real culprits are the packaged foods that are simply LOADED with sodium.
So, how much sodium can we / should we target while doing a workout program like Power 90, P90X or Insanity? Well, like I said there are many factors. The lower the better, but we all have different levels of risk. When in doubt, get checked by a doctor for your peace of mind. I know that it was a great comfort to me the first time I got my bloodwork done after about 5 months of doing P90X and eating a very rigid, high protein diet with about 4,000 – 4,500mg of sodium per day. I was nervous that something would be way out of whack, but it wasn’t. That doesn’t mean I have nothing to worry about though. I need to get checked periodically to be sure I’m staying on track. You should do the same!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
