A muscle cramp is an involuntarily and forcibly
contracted muscle that does not relax. When we use the muscles that
can be controlled voluntarily, such as those of our arms and legs,
they alternately contract and relax as we move our limbs. A muscle
(or even a few fibers of a muscle) that involuntarily (without
consciously willing it) contracts is in a "spasm." If the spasm is
forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. Muscle cramps often
cause a visible or palpable hardening of the involved muscle.
What are the symptoms of common muscle cramps? How muscle cramps
Characteristically, a cramp is painful, often severely so. Usually,
the sufferer must stop whatever activity is under way and seek
relief from the cramp; the person is unable to use the affected
muscle while it is cramping. Severe cramps may be associated with
soreness and swelling, which can occasionally persist up to several
days after the cramp has subsided. At the time of cramping, the
knotted muscle will bulge, feel very firm, and may be tender.
are minerals which have an electrical charge when they are dissolved
in the blood or other liquids within the body. Electrolytes are important because many cells, including
nerve and muscle cells, use electrical activity as part of their
function. These cells can control their electrical charge by
modifying the amount of electrolytes inside and outside of the cell.
Electrolyte imbalances can disrupt the way that your muscle and nerve cells work because
they are the most sensitive to changes in electrolytes.
Electrolytes and Cramping
When your body gets low on electrolytes it can cause your muscles to cramp,
MayoClinic.com explains. Specifically, low blood levels of either calcium or magnesium directly increase
the excitability of both the nerve endings and the muscles they
stimulate which can lead to cramping.
Low potassium blood levels occasionally cause muscle cramps, although it is more
common for low potassium to be associated with muscle
depletion is more common when you are doing intense exercise because
you lose some electrolytes through your sweat. Electrolyte depletion
can also occur if you are taking diuretic medications or are losing
fluids due to vomiting or diarrhea.
Sports and other vigorous activities can cause excessive fluid loss
from perspiration. This kind of
increases the likelihood of true cramps. These cramps are more
likely to occur in warm weather and can be an early sign of
Chronic volume depletion of body fluids from diuretics (medicine
that promote urination) and poor fluid intake may act similarly to
predispose to cramps, especially in older people. Sodium depletion
has also been associated with cramps. Loss of sodium, the most
abundant chemical constituent of body fluids outside the cell, is
usually a function of dehydration.
True cramps are commonly associated with the vigorous use of muscles
(in sports or with unaccustomed activities). Such cramps may come
during the activity or later, sometimes many hours later.
What is the treatment of skeletal muscle cramps?
Most cramps can be stopped if the muscle can be stretched. For many
cramps of the feet and legs, this stretching can often be
accomplished by standing up and walking around.
Gently massaging the muscle will often help it to relax, as will
applying warmth from a heating pad or hot soak. If the cramp is
associated with fluid loss, as is often the case with vigorous
physical activity, fluid and electrolyte (especially sodium and
potassium) replacement is essential. Medicines generally are not
needed to treat an ordinary cramp that is active since most cramps
subside spontaneously before enough medicine would be absorbed to
even have an effect.
How can muscle cramps be prevented?
Authorities recommend stretching before and after exercise or
sports, along with an adequate warm-up and cooldown, to prevent
cramps that are caused by vigorous physical activity. Good hydration
before, during, and after the activity is important, especially if
the duration exceeds one hour, and replacement of lost
(especially sodium and potassium, which are major components of
perspiration) can also be helpful. Excessive fatigue, especially in
warm weather, should be avoided.
How much should I drink?
Hydration guidelines should be individualized for each person. The
goal is to prevent excessive
(>2% of body weight). You should weigh yourself before and after
exercise to see how much fluid you lose through sweat. One liter of
water weighs 2.25 pounds. Depending on the amount of exercise,
temperature and humidity, body weight, and other factors, you can
lose anywhere from approximately .4 to 1.8 liters per hour.
Pre-exercise hydration (if needed):
0.5 liters per hour for a 180-pound person several hours (three
to four hours) prior to exercise.
Consuming beverages with sodium and/or small amounts of
salted snacks or sodium-containing foods at meals will help to
and retain the consumed fluids.
Suggested starting points for marathon runners are 0.4 to 0.8
liters per hour, but again, this should be individualized based on
There should be no more than 10% carbohydrate in the
beverage, and 7% has generally been considered close to optimal.
Carbohydrate consumption is generally recommended only after one
hour of exertion.
(sodium and potassium) can help sustain electrolyte balance during
exercise. Particularly when
there is inadequate access to meals or meals are not eaten,
physical activity exceeds four hours in duration,
during the initial days of hot weather.
Under these conditions, adding modest amounts of salt (0.3 g/L to
0.7 g/L) can offset salt loss in sweat and minimize medical events
Drink approximately 0.5 liters of water for every pound of body
Consuming beverages and snacks with sodium will help
expedite rapid and complete recovery by stimulating thirst and fluid
We're already planning on the Tough Mudder again next year, and you
can bet that I'll get a handle on my "in race nutrition" for the run
next year... or any other event of sizable distance or duration!
There are plenty of gels, powders, and chews that can be used to
replenish your electrolytes when rest stops only have water.
You can bet I'll be packin next time!
So yes, I'm going to use this as a learning
Weight-training programs manipulate resistance, sets,
repetitions and rest. Changing even one of these
factors affects the capacity in the others. For
example, a short rest interval reduces the capacity to lift
heavy weights or perform more sets or repetitions.
Some research has concluded that the proper rest interval
depends on the goal.
To gain muscle size, you need to give your muscles
adequate recovery time so they can continue to exert their
maximum force. After about 2 minutes following a lift,
your muscles recover 80 percent of their strength. The
recovery percentage is less for each second before the
2-minute mark. Take note of how much time you
currently take between sets to see if you have to rest
Rest longer if the goal is maximum strength development
(5 minutes or more between sets). Rest 3-5 minutes
between sets when lifting loads less than 90 percent of
maximum effort. Rest 3 minutes when training for
muscular power, and take short rest periods (30-60 seconds)
when attempting to boost growth hormone levels. Short
rest intervals of about 30 seconds work best when training
for muscular endurance. Rest time doesn't mean much if
you haven't optimized intensity and volume.
Constructing the optimal workout program is as much art as
Exercise of the Month!
If you've already gotten the hang
of the kettlebell swing, then the swing snatch is the next
progression to master on your list. Executing the appropriate
form is important to prevent injury and ensure that you get
the maximum benefits from this exercise.
The one arm
snatch uses a swing movement produced by the hips and core to
project the kettlebell from between the legs to an overhead
straight arm lockout position in one uninterrupted motion. The
one arm kettlebell snatch can be broken down into 4 phases
1. The Swing
2. The Pull Phase
3. The Lock-Out Phase
4. The Drop Phase
During the lock-out phase,
quickly punch up with
your fist, and guide the kettlebell home with the arm fully
extended overhead. Be sure to catch the kettlebell softly
without banging the forearm, donít allow it to spin around the
handle and travel a long way to hit your forearm hard.
Instead, quickly punch up with the heel of your palm so the
handle outruns the kettlebell and you catch the kettlebell
softly with your forearm.
hips, legs, shoulder (gluteals,
Straddle kettlebell with feet slightly wider apart than
shoulder width. Squat down with arm extended downward between
legs and grasp kettlebell handle with overhand grip. Position
shoulder over kettlebell with taut low back and trunk close to
Pull kettlebell forward and upward from under body. As
kettlebell passes knee height, jump upward extending body.
Elevavate shoulder and pull kettlebell upward. Land on feet
with bent legs. Catch kettlebell at arm's length while squat
up into standing position with kettlebell overhead.
Drop kettlebell down and foward iwth arm extended. Swing
kettlebell back down between legs and repeat. Continue with
Recipes for Health
Citrusy Banana Oat
Hands-on: 5 min.|
Total: 30 min.
morning prep even faster by freezing the banana and cooking
and refrigerating the oatmeal the night before.
- 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup prepared
- 1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange
- 1 large banana, sliced and
- 1 cup ice cubes
Combine first 7 ingredients in
a blender; pulse to combine. Add ice; process until
Serves 2 (serving size 1 1/2
Fat 3.9g (sat 1.2 g, mono 0.6g, poly 1.4g)
Light, April 2014
Training Heart Rate
component of exercise for fat loss and health is aerobic (aka.
cardiovascular or cardio respiratory) exercise. This
type of training is called "aerobic" because you use
oxygen to burn fuel. Your exercise routine should
include aerobic training (ie. biking, walking, running, etc..)
3-4 days per week for optimum results. Gauge how hard to
push yourself by taking a percentage of your maximum heart
rate. To calculate this, subtract your age from 220.
Maximum Heart Rate: 220 -
To derive any benefits from aerobic exercise, you
need to exercise in an elevated training zone which equates to
a percentage of your maximum heart rate.
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of
maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best
zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also
be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has
been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and
cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative
diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned
in this zone are fats!
Fitness Zone (Fat
Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone
provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is
more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat
calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance
Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic
zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system
AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the
preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event.
More calories are burned with 50% from
Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) ---
80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include
an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of
oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardio respiratory
system, and a higher lactate tolerance
ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be
able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone
burning more calories, 15 % from fat.
(Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate:
Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is
very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short
periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very
good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do
Measuring Your Heart
a heart rate monitor is an easy, accurate method of checking
your heart rate... but you don't have a monitor. Here is
another easy way.
The easiest place to feel your own
heart beat is the carotid artery. Place your index finger on
the side of your neck between the middle of your collar bone
and your jaw line. (You may also use the radial artery on the
under side of your wrist.) You can count the beats for a full
60 seconds or count for 6 seconds and add a zero at the end.
If you felt your heart beat 14 times in 6 seconds the number
would be 140 for a full 60 seconds. Counting for only six
seconds is a convenient method, of course it is more accurate
to count for the full 60 seconds. You can use several
varieties of this method (30 seconds x 2, 15 seconds x 4,
etc.). The longer you count the more accurate your reading.
Whatever you choose, be consistent in your
It's Go Time!
Well, the ACL rehab is coming along, but it looks like I'll
have to postpone my 48 birthday tire flips this month for a
little while until I'm cleared (sigh). Better safe than
sorry, right? It's killing me though... I'm already
missing out on a few mud runs and training opportunities...
I'm having a Mud-Life Crisis over here! Ah well... I'll
try to be a little good and just have to plan for more events
in the fall, that's all.|
June is an exciting time. The school year is coming to
an end, kids are graduating, and summer vacation plans are in
full swing! Although most of us still have to work, but
sure to make time for your family, friends, and of course your
prior issues of this eNewsletter, to subscribe, or
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only one thing I can change is myself,
but sometimes that makes all of the difference."
youtube of the month -->
Furniture Sliders Exercises
is a great collection of exercises that could be performed
with the very affordable sliders that are used to move
furniture. (Exercises start at 2:40 into the video)