It Wasn’t Water I Needed. It Was Salt.

The Thirst That Wouldn’t Go Away

After my long Sunday bicycle rides, I’d often come home wrecked—tired to the bone, head pounding, unable to think straight. I assumed I was just dehydrated. I’d down bottle after bottle of water, but no matter how much I drank, the thirst wouldn’t go away. It was like pouring water into a bucket with a hole.

So Much Sweat, But Still So Tired

Same thing after a hard indoor rowing session on the Concept2. I’d sweat buckets—shirt soaked, towel drenched—and even a couple of hours after I was done, I’d still be sweating. That post-workout exhaustion would just hang around all day.

Hot, Humid Rides and Mid-Ride Struggles

Riding in Kerala’s tropical heat and humidity only made it worse. A typical Sunday bicycle ride that started at 6 AM would go on till 10 or 10:30, by which time the sun would be blazing. Towards the end of those longer 4-hour rides, my legs would start cramping up—sometimes badly.

My water would be long gone by then, and I’d grab whatever cold drink I could find. Usually something sugary. And sure, it felt refreshing for a few minutes, but it wasn’t helping. No real electrolytes, just sugar. The thirst remained. The fatigue didn’t go away.

When I Finally Checked My Blood

Eventually I got a blood test done, just to see if something was off. And yeah, my sodium levels were low.

That’s when things started to come together.

Talking to Friends, Digging Deeper

I spoke to a few friends, people who’d gone through similar struggles, and started reading up on what actually happens when we sweat heavily for long periods. The deeper I went, the more obvious it got—this wasn’t just about hydration, it was about electrolyte loss. Especially sodium.

I didn’t invent the wheel here. I just listened, learned, and adapted. I started trying out different things—upping my sodium intake, making sure I got in enough potassium and magnesium too, and seeing what actually worked for me.

What Changed When I Got the Salt Right

I’ve been in the cycling and sports world for years, so these kinds of conversations—about energy dips, cramps, hydration—aren’t new to me. But it still took me a while to connect the dots in my own case.

And slowly, everything changed.

The cramps stopped showing up. My energy didn’t crash post-ride. That unquenchable thirst? Gone. I wasn’t wiped out anymore. Even after a brutal Concept2 session, I felt like I could go about my day without needing to lie down and recover.

BS+T: A Simple, Salty Fix That Works

That one simple realization—replacing salt, not just water—was what eventually led to BS+T. It’s not magic. It’s just a clean, high-sodium electrolyte mix that gives your body what it’s actually losing when you’re sweating like crazy.

If you’re going through the same cycle—loads of sweat, tons of water, sugar drinks that don’t help, and still feeling dead tired—it might not be about drinking more. It might just be about getting the salt back in.

The name BS+T stands for Blood, Sweat, and Tears. There’s a story behind that name—one I’ll share in another post.