Avoiding Muscle Cramps During Exercises

Muscle cramps are sometimes called a "medical mystery" and tend to come out of nowhere, for no apparent reason at all. The reasons behind most muscle cramps are usually related to dehydration, nutrient insufficiency, and electrolyte imbalances. When our bodies are lacking in one or the other, we usually get painful muscle cramps that can affect our sleep, athletic performance, and exercise routines. A cramp feels like a knot that bunches up inside of a muscle and is sometimes very painful. For some, you are actually able to see the knot underneath the skin, depending on how bad the cramp is. If you find yourself in the midst of a muscle cramp, try stretching the muscle while after wards giving it a gentle massage. This usually is good for getting the cramp to go away immediately.

Workouts can turn into nightmares if you find yourself in the midst of the groove and then are suddenly faced with a painful cramp. I want to share with you some of the tips I give my Chino Hills health club clients. It doesn't matter where you workout, on the beach, in the gym or at home if you don't give your body the attention it needs you could find yourself suffering from painful muscle cramps. Here are some effective ways to prevent and avoid getting muscle cramps during exercise:

1) Stay hydrated. Drinking water before, during, and after workouts can keep you from having painful muscle cramps. Make sure that you are drinking water all through the day, however.

2) Make sure that you are taking a multivitamin, this will ensure that your body is receiving all of the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs- Don't forget to eat something when you take your multivitamin for better absorption.

3) Sip on some Powerade or Gatorade for electrolytes. These drinks can often times keep your balance in check while still feeding you spurts of energy while you workout.

4) Be sure to check in with your doctor if you are certain that you are staying hydrated and getting all of the right nutrients. Sometimes some medical conditions can lead to muscle cramps, and certain medications can cause cramps as well.

5) Stretch before you exercise. I am not talking about just a 30-second stretch; it needs to be at least a good 10-minute or so stretching session. This will definitely decrease your chances of getting those painful and uncomfortable cramps.

6) Eat a banana or a pickle, both are high in potassium, a nutrient requirement for avoiding muscle spasms/cramps.

Not only are they painful, muscle cramps are annoying and can be avoided. Make sure that you are receiving adequate nutrition and do not forget to take your vitamins. There is nothing like trying to work out while getting caught up in the middle of a dreadful muscle spasm! Remember that a muscle cramp can strike at any time, so make sure that you are taking the necessary precautions to avoid them. And as I remind my Chino Hills health club clients, do not forget to consult with your physician if they seem to be getting too much out of control, he or she will be able to detect if there are further problems causing the cramps/spasms.

You definitely do not want to wind up whaling out in pain while in the middle of a workout. Let's face it, cramps slow us down. Where there is prevention, there is a way to avoid these painful cramps. So, nurture your body properly, stay hydrated, and have a great workout with no spasms.

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The Number One Secret to Health

Improve the Quality of Your Blood


"The best way to find out the quality of the blood is to determine the proportion of its acid and alkali. A hydrogen ion exponent of 7 indicates a neutral state, but actually, for the blood, 7.2 to 7.4 with a slight inclination toward the alkali is considered the ideal condition. When the blood is in this neutral state, poisonous bacteria cannot increase and one does not become ill from contagious diseases."


I first read these words from Rev. Kanjitsu Iijima as a young man. They were contained within his book called, Buddhist Yoga, published in 1975. This book changed my life as well as my thinking about, health, diet, and spirituality. After this early exposure to the principle of acid/alkaline balance, I was given a fuller understanding through the research done by Dr. Robert O. Young and presented in his book entitled, The PH Miracle, published in 2002.


Now think about it for a minute: Where do we usually use the term pH? That's right, when talking about our swimming pools. We know if we don't want that green stuff to start growing in our pool we have to balance the water's pH. Well guess what? It is the same with our bodies. If we don't want to become overly acidic and create an environment that allows poisonous bacteria and other microforms to grow in our bodies, WE NEED TO BALANCE OUR pH! According to Dr. Robert O. Young as well as a growing number of health professionals, "Over-acidification of blood and tissues underlies all disease, and general "dis-ease" as well".


Did you hear that last statement? If not, it's worth repeating: "Over-acidification of blood and tissues underlies all disease..." Not to overstate, but this is one of the most important secrets to health!!!


Consider the fact that a cancer cell can live in a cup of coffee forever, but will die very quickly in an alkaline solution.


If you place a frog in boiling hot water, it will sense the danger and jump out immediately. Now, place that same frog in a pan of cold water and gradually increase the temperature, the frog will stay in the water until it dies. Most of us slowly and subtly experience the effects of long-term, low-grade acidity. We are like the frog, we don't notice the "water getting warmer". The aches and pains, poor digestion, lack of energy and mood swings are overlooked or explained away as "normal" signs of aging. Meanwhile, those persistently growing layers of fat store the acid that our bodies cannot excrete normally.


Guess what? If you are overweight, you don't have a fat problem, you have an acid problem. You see the body will do whatever it takes to maintain the pH of the blood at 7.365 which includes storing acid in our fat cells. Our bodies, controlled by our subconscious minds, are much more intelligent than our thinking or conscious minds when it comes to matters of physical health. Consider this, when we get a cut our bodies don't need our help stopping the bleeding, repairing the wound, and creating new skin! The cells of our body know exactly what to do.


Do you experience any of the symptoms below?


* Excess Weight


* Pimples & Acne


* Agitation


* Rapid panting breath


* Rapid heartbeat


* Muscular pain


* Pre-menstrual and menstrual cramping


* Pre-menstrual anxiety and depression


* Cold hands and feet


* Light headedness & dizziness


* Exhausted easily and low energy


* Joint pains that travel


* Food allergies


* Excessive gas


* Hyperactivity


* Lack of sex drive


* Bloating


* Heartburn & acid reflux


* Yellow & strong smelling urine


* Headaches & migraines


* Irregular heartbeat


* White coated tongue


* Hard to get up in morning


* Excess head mucous (stuffiness)


If you experience more than 2 of the symptoms listed here, there is a high chance that your body is acidic and you may want to take precaution and change your diet before it accumulates and turns into a deadly disease like cancer one day.


These symptoms which we are so quick to deem "normal" are the Early Warning System of the body shouting - Acid! Acid! Acid! When we ignore these signs, the volume of acid in our system increases and we experience blood pressure issues, bone loss, signs of aging, kidney wasting and increased fat storage.


So what is the solution - alkalize your body. Go green my friend! Focus your diet on alkaline foods that support your health, and don't overtax your system with excess acid. This will not only have a profound effect on your health, but will also help you to shed excess fat.






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