Potassium Deficiency?

Can sweating a lot in cardio exercise (spinning 5x/wk) cause a potassium deficiency?  I have a slight deficiency and also take blood pressure meds.  I was just wondering if anyone knows if sweating can contribute to this.  I am supposed to eat a banana a day for a week and have my blood retested.  Thanks.  Lynne

Hi Lynne! I don't really have any advice. I was going to suggest bananas too! This is off topic but tell me about Spinning! I really want to try it but am a little intimidated. How did you get started? How long did it take for your butt to not kill you? Must be a great workout.

Spinning is great!  I just started out working out on the regular machines in the gym, including the stationary bike.  I kep****ching the people in the class, and just decided to go in one day.  My butt hurt for about a week and then I got used to it.  My quads hurt for a little while, too because of the standing on the bike.  It was not long before I got used to it, though.  I love it because you can work hard and get a great workout, and the time goes by fast.  You can work at your own pace, so you dont have to be intimidated.  You can really see your success, too. 

I love spinning also.  I even did some teaching for a while.  Like Lynne said, your butt doesn't hurt for very long especially if you have some spinning shorts with a little cushioning. I know a lot of people get intimidated by spinning classes when they see them, but everyone starts out a little slower and lighter resistance.  They are fabulous cardio workouts and you can get some really good strength training when you use higher resistance on the bike. Hope you try one soon, they really are great! Linn

If your taking your normal vitamins the spinning shouldn't have an impact on potassium, since you probably aren't moving for more than an hour at a time.  Over 60 minutes is when supplements become important. Rob

Lynne, According to my Medical Physiology book, the primary place you lose potassium is in the kidneys since they don't have a mechanism to conserve it like the muscles and sweat glands do, so the most likely cause is that your blood pressure medicine also works as a diuretic.  A lot of other fruits are also high in potassium (oranges come to mind), so it looks like one of the best things you can do for yourself to replenish any potassium losses will be to eat more fruits/veggies high in potassium. Linn

Thanks, Linn.