Stop Muscle Cramps With This Common Ingredient

Keeping cool in the heat of the triple digit summer temperatures and high humidity is pretty darn difficult. The key thing that helps our bodies adjust and adapt to physical activity in high heat is sweating. And for athletes…

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Keeping cool in the heat of the triple digit summer temperatures and high humidity is pretty darn difficult. One of the key things that helps our bodies adjust and adapt to physical activity and high heat is sweating. And for us athletes, it seems we spend a lot of time working and perspiring out in those sweltering temperatures.

Training outdoors in the heat of the summer can be tricky and downright dangerous. Key is to keep from overheating and avoid dehydration. Read more about that here: “What athletes NEED to know about heat and humidity”.

The other big factor that comes out of working out in the heat is muscle cramps. Muscle cramps generally can come from two things:

  1. Extreme fatigue from overexertion in a particular muscle.
  2. Electrolyte imbalance and/or dehydration, often from sodium loss.

The common solution when someone else complains of muscle cramping or a ‘Charlie horse” is to eat a banana. Bananas are known to be fairly high in potassium, and this always seems to be the ‘go-to’ food for cramps. This may or may not help.

Another common one is that cramping is due to a loss of magnesium and calcium.

Perhaps…

Electrolytes are tricky. It isn’t usually one solution for everyone.

If you have a better understanding of how electrolytes work, you may have a better idea of how to keep them in the right ratios for your optimal performance.

Your body’s electrolytes must be in the correct balance and in the right ratios for the body to function correctly. If you have an excess of one electrolyte, it will throw off the other electrolytes that need to be in the correct balance.

For example, an excess of calcium in the diet or in supplements will throw off magnesium levels, meaning that your body will need more magnesium to balance out the calcium. Low magnesium levels can cause cramping and twitching in muscles.

Potassium and sodium also must maintain the correct balance, so an excess of potassium will throw off the sodium balance and vice versa.

Properly controlled muscle contractions require a very close balance in the interstitial fluid (the fluid surrounding the cells), and an imbalance will lead to excessive muscle contractions, which can manifest as cramping.

Trying to ‘fix’ muscle cramping can be tricky, but since cramps are usually attributed to an imbalance of electrolytes, once you can correct the electrolyte issues, you will find relief.

Fluids lost through sweat contain mostly sodium and chloride, or salt. Muscles tend to hold on to potassium, calcium and magnesium over salt, so your best bet to cure cramps or fatigue from heat and excessive sweating would be to try to replace the salt first.

People lose varying amounts of fluids through sweat, with some folks being very prolific ‘sweaters’, and others who sweat very little.

The amount and concentration of salt in sweat varies from person to person as well. Some people are very salty sweaters and others are not. One athlete might only lose a gram or two of sodium during outdoor activity, and another athlete can lose 20 or more grams of sodium.

Sodium is an important mineral that works with nerve signaling and enabling movements in the muscles, so losing too much salt will make muscles irritable, and can make you dizzy, foggy headed and tired feeling as well.

When you combine a loss of salt and fluids with intense physical effort in the heat, muscles can start contracting uncontrollably, leading to cramping and early fatigue, even bonking. I call it a ‘heat bonk’.

In a case study reported in The International Journal of Sports Nutrition (Bergeron, 1996),

“…an elite tennis player was found to lose more sodium in his sweat during several hours of play than he consumed throughout the entire day. During intense play that resulted in sweat loss of 3 quarts an hour, the player knotted up with the cramps. It was recommended that the player add salt to his diet and sports drink. The addition of sodium reduced subsequent cramping episodes. Whenever the player felt cramps coming on in a game, he drank a sports drink with salt, and the cramps ceased.”

Let’s talk for a minute about salt. For many years, we have been told that salt is BAD for us, that it makes our blood pressure go up and that we should avoid it. However that is NOT true. We need salt. And some of us, depending on our diet, lifestyle and other factors need more than others. Probably way more than you’d think. Check out this most recent article in the New York Times on salt consumption and health issues.

And, Paleo dieters or those on a lower carb diet lose large amounts of salt and fluids through the more efficient filtering of the kidneys. That’s one of the reasons that people who go on a low carb diet immediately lose a lot of water weight. The kidneys are simply more efficient and process out fluids quicker.

That means Paleo and low carb dieters need more salt in general—whether exercising or not. And for those transitioning over to a lower carb diet, salt is very important just for everyday functioning to avoid fatigue and dizziness.

For athletes, the need for salt is even more crucial.

Without enough salt in the body, blood volume will fall short, and during activity in hot weather, your body will not have enough fluides for sweating or to adequately circulate your blood well enough. In essence, your blood becomes thicker, causing your heart to work even harder to pump this thick stuff through the body. This causes dizziness and intense fatigue, and ultimately cramps and dehydration.

Cramping can also be a result of dehydration. That may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many athletes don’t drink enough water during the day and during training/competition. You may be shocked at how much water and fluids you need to replace on a hot day! Yes we need salt and electrolytes, but most of what comes out in sweat is just plain water.

The sodium-potassium balance is an important factor in cramping for athletes. However, remember that too much sodium can cause cramping as well, so if extra sodium does not help, then add in potassium.

Fluids containing sodium and potassium are retained in the body much better than those that don’t.

Ever get dehydrated and drink a ton of water to replace the fluids lost and immediately urinate it all out, but still remain thirsty? Well this is because without sodium and potassium, your body will not retain the needed fluids.

Electrolyte balance can get complicated, but if you remember it’s a balancing act, then a little educated trial and error will help you maintain the right balance.

For salt to be effective it must be added to drinks an hour or so prior to any training or competition, and also during the competition. Too early and it does no good.

So next time you venture out in the heat of the summertime, add in a pinch of sea salt to your pre-training drink, and add some into your drinks during the workout as well. Generally about a 1/3 to a half of a teaspoon (give or take) will help replace the sodium lost in sweat. Experiment with this a bit and see how you feel.

If the salt doesn’t solve the cramping problem, next add in more potassium. Potassium can be found in abundance in many foods including: potatoes, oranges and orang juice, bananas, avocados, cantelope, kiwi, beans, spinach, any dark green leafy vegetable, tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce and mushrooms to name a few.

I am not a huge fan of commercial sports drinks. Generally I think they have way too much sugar or, even worse, corn syrup and citric acid in them, along with artificial colorings and a host of scary chemicals, to even be effective. The citric acid alone has been proven to actually eat away at tooth enamel. And the corn syrup–yuk–don’t get me started!

I often make my own sports drink with about half and half water and orange juice (high in potassium), and a pinch of sea salt. For a great instant sodium-potassium replacement, try a V-8. Coconut juice or coconut water is also an excellent electrolyte replacement drink, but remember you still may need extra sodium. My latest drink concoction was half coconut water, half regular water, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of sea salt. I felt great!

If these two electrolytes don’t work, or if you find you are waking up in the middle of the night with ‘charley horses’, you may need to supplement with magnesium. Over 80% of the population is deficient in this mineral and if you are an athlete you are even more likely to be deficient, as some of this is lost in sweat.

Besides eating a lot of leafy greens, nuts, and pumpkin seeds, you can take a magnesium supplement before bed to help relax the muscles. Because magnesium takes longer to be absorbed into muscles, supplementing with this mineral should be done several days ahead of any training or competition to be entirely effective. And watch the dose and start out slowly or get a slow, time-release type of magnesium because it can cause diarrhea.

Other health issues like diabetes, neurologic or vascular problems can also play a part in getting cramps. And supplements or over the counter medications like sudafed, creatine and caffeine may bring on muscle cramps as well. If cramps suddenly occur without a prior history, check with your doctor to rule out more serious causes.

So follow these things when outside in the heat to avoid cramps and dehydration:

1. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise

2. Replenish sodium lost from sweat (a half teaspoon, more or less)

3. Eat more healthy carbs to fuel high intensity exercise

 

Till next time,

Stay Healthy and Hydrated!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back-to-basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years researching diet, health and nutrition.

Her book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

References:

Bergeron, M., Heat Cramps During Tennis: A Case Report. International Journal of Sport Nutrition 6:62-68, 1996.

Craig Horswell, Ph.D., Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Steve Phinney, “Low-Carb preserves Glycogen better than High Carb”, 4/14/11

 

Beets and Athletic Performance

What would you think about a natural food that has been scientifically PROVEN to help you work out harder and longer?

red beets

 

What would you think about a natural food that has been scientifically PROVEN to help you work out harder and longer? Remember when your mom used to say, “Eat your beets!” Well, there’s even more reason to now. Although this food has been around for a long time, this news is a very recent discovery with amazing results–especially if you are an athlete.

Although many people turn up their noses at beets, the fact that beets have some awesome benefits may make you take another look at them–especially if you are an athlete or are interested in getting (or staying) into shape.

Beet juice (or ‘beetroot’ as they say in the UK) can increase endurance in the muscles and help you exercise 20% longer. While 20% may not seem like a lot, it certainly can mean the difference between you winning a race or finishing in the middle of the pack!

What’s in beet juice? It is thought that the nitrates in beets are very effective in enhancing the oxygen utilization and physical endurance in the muscles (more so than just training harder will do) and it also lowers blood pressure. Natural nitrates have the effect of dilating blood vessels and allowing better blood flow to muscles that need them.

Two studies done at Exeter University on men have opened the doors to looking for foods that help the muscles in the body utilize oxygen better and stay stronger, longer. In this particular study, it was found that cyclists who drank beet juice before cycling had a 20% increase in muscle endurance than those who drank a placebo of blackcurrant juice instead. In other words, the cyclists were able to pedal a significant amount of time longer on the beet juice without tiring.

How does this happen? Scientists theorize that the naturally occurring nitrate content in the beet juice turns to nitric oxide in the body, and expands the blood vessels and reduces the amount of oxygen that the muscles need for exercise, so the muscles don’t tire as easily.

Besides athletes and those who are work out regularly, beet juice may be just as beneficial to those with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases as well.

And the action of nitrates on blood vessels is also similar to a very popular prescription medication for erectile dysfunction.

Still not convinced to eat beets or start drinking beet juice?

Well, these humble little red root vegetables are also a packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, making beets a fat burning superfood.
Consider some of these reasons to add beets or beet juice to your daily diet:

Potassium–Potassium is a vital mineral that helps regulate fluids in the body. And potassium intake is extra important if you exercise. Physically active men and women require about 2,500 to 4,000 milligrams of potassium a day. If you train in a warmer climate, where you may sweat more, potassium needs are higher. A cup of beets contains over 500 milligrams of potassium, which is a good start to maintaining that balance.

Anti-inflammatory–Sports, overtraining, and working out regularly is a lot of wear and tear on your body–which can lead to chronic inflammation. Muscles and joints that are overtrained can develop inflammation and will lead to injuries, tendonitis, joint issues and even arthritis. Beets contain a substance called betaine, which helps reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation has advantages to others besides athletes because it can decrease the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type-2 diabetes, and more.

Heart Health–The dietary nitrates in beets help muscles pump longer and harder—and that also includes the heart muscle. Beets have been proven to lower blood pressure and helps to make your heart stronger and healthier too.

Iron–Beet greens are edible too and are even higher in iron than spinach greens. Iron helps to transport oxygen in the blood and gets it to the muscles where it is needed, your energy levels stay higher.

It’s time to give beets a second chance. Try this recipe and you will be amazed at how tasty beets really are–

  • Purchase fresh beets and wash them well.
  • Peel off the tough outer skin with a potato peeler or paring knife.
  • Remove the green tops and slice beets in fairly thin slices.
  • Add beets to sauce pan with about a fourth to a half cup of water and a couple Tbsp. of grass fed butter.
  • Simmer with a lid on low to medium heat until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Drain any excess water and add a squeeze of fresh lemon, sea salt, pepper and more butter if you would like. Enjoy!
  • If you want to juice your own fresh beet juice, try it with some other additions: a couple stalks of celery, a half an apple, and some carrots to your juicer. You can also purchase beet juice at many health food stores.

Beets and beet juice are an excellent addition to anyone’s diet–whether you are a serious athlete or just a weekend warrior–or want to improve your ability in the bedroom.

Beets contain a powerful punch of vitamins and nutrients and provide the biggest bang for your buck!

Note: It’s not a great idea to drink large amounts of fresh beet juice all by itself. A few people can have negative reactions to beet juice, such as hives, rashes, and even paralysis of the vocal cords. Beet juice is best in smaller amounts and mixed with other vegetable juices. Beets and beet greens are also high in a substance called oxalic acid and should be avoided by those who tend to get kidney stones, gout, or rheumatoid arthritis.

This recipe started out as a joke, but if you are going to have an alcoholic cocktail, this one is actually VERY good and not as bad for you as those sugary concoctions full of preservatives and artificial flavoring. You will be surprised at how good this tastes, but go easy, it’s still a potent drink–and it most likely will NOT improve your athletic performance with the addition of vodka–so probably not a great pre-race drink! 😉

The Beet Martini

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle  Chopin or other Potato Vodka
  • 3 Fresh Organic Beets
  • 2-4 cups Blood Orange or Fresh Orange Juice (I just bought fresh squeezed OJ from WF)
  • 4 Meyer Lemons, juiced
  • 2 Fresh Limes, juiced
  • Simple Syrup to taste
  • 6-8 ea. Fresh Basil Leaves
  • Lemon Twist, garnish

Directions:

  • Cut tops off beets and wash. Place in boiling water for about ten minutes. Remove from pan, rinse under cold water and scrape off tough outer skin. Slice and add to vodka in a glass pitcher or jar. Infuse for three days.
  • When ready to mix drinks, remove beets with a strainer spoon and discard. In a glass pitcher, add the vodka and chill. Meanwhile squeeze 3 Meyer lemons and three limes into a glass container. Add the orange juice. Crush the basil leaves in a small amount of simple syrup with a wooden spoon. Add to juice mixture and sweeten with simple syrup to taste. Leave it slightly tart.
  • To mix drinks, add ice to a cocktail strainer, juice and two shots of vodka. Shake and strain off ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.
  • Note: Measurements are approximate, so it may need a little tweaking to ‘taste’. Enjoy in moderation! Cheers!

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean and FAST!

cat e1335982521218 Inflammation Silent and Sneaky Partner of Aging and Disease

 

10920911_933025466708952_6899937273509840540_nCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, (studying MSN/PH) is an international health, wellness and longevity expert. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing, she has spent the last 30 years studying sustainable diets, health and nutrition all over the world. She also has 4 books including the worldwide best-seller,  “The Fat Burning Kitchen,” “The Top 101 Foods That Fight Aging”, and “The Superfoods Diabetes Reversal Diet”,  and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help create a healthier planet and healthier people. Cat’s Global Green Kitchen

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

The Fat Burning Kitchen will get you started on the path to a healthy diet, weight loss and vibrant health.You will notice a difference in the first 24 hours! Learn about the so-called ‘health’ foods you may be eating that are actually ruining your health, and causing you to gain weight. And find out the best, fat-burning super-powered nutritious foods to eat to lose fat, gain boundless energy, and feel better than you ever have!

 

 

Source:
Stephen J Baily, Andrew M Jones, et al. “Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans”, Journal of Applied Physiology, Aug.6, 2009
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