Ways To Prevent Muscle Cramps
Drink Water
Did you know the muscle is about 80% water!
Water is important for your body as a hole to work properly Not getting enough water can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally. Remember to drink water before you feel thirsty and drink more than you need to quench your thirst.
The benefits of staying hydrated are widespread, so even if it’s not 100 percent guaranteed that you won’t cramp, consuming adequate fluids during exercise will still improve performance especially when its hot and humid
Increase Vitamins
Your diet plays a key role. Making sure you have enough electrolytes to keep you going, during and after exercise will help prevent cramping in some people. Electrolytes play a direct key role in muscle activity and are primarily composed of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
So throughout your week try to go for more food that are full of these important nutrients.
Warm Up
Before your training session at LIFT you will always hear your trainer tell you to warm up before getting straight into any weights. Warming up is essential for many reasons; preventing injury being the main one.
Stretching/ Foam Roll
Evidence suggests that stretching to warm up, cool down or anytime throughout your day can also help to relieve or prevent muscle cramps.
One of the main cause of muscle cramping is over exertion so by improve your overall fitness and flexibility will improve your overall risk of cramping. This can help prevent future cramping.
References
American Medical Association. Handbook of First Aid and Emergency Care. 2000.
American College of Emergency Physicians, First Aid Manual, 2001.
The American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Muscle Cramp. May 2010.
Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Potassium in diet. May 26, 2010.
Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Leg pain. Aug 8, 2009.
Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Broken bone. May 2, 2009.
Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Numbness and tingling. April 21, 2009.
