There’s nothing worse than planning for an active day only to immediately be seized up with pain the second you’re about to have at it. A muscle cramp. They can seemingly come out of nowhere, even if you aren’t doing anything too straining for your body. It can affect trained athletes and casual laymen alike. Although the exact cause of muscle cramps can be unknown, the majority can be for a plethora of reasons.
Sometimes it can come about simply because you exercised too hard and overused the muscle in question. If you’re pregnant, it could be because of a mineral deficiency. The cramp may even be brought upon due to the temperature. If it’s cold outside, or if you step into cold water, it can actually make your muscles tense up to the point of cramping. Obviously, if your body isn’t circulating its blood flow efficiently, that can also be a cause for cramping. The same goes for a deficiency in certain minerals even if you are not pregnant. Because your body requires a great deal of water to perform everyday functions, if you’re dehydrated, this may also cause a cramp. This is why you see athletes frequently pumping themselves full of water or other hydrating fluids. Finally, a few prescription medications can actually cause muscle cramps as a side effect.
Because muscle cramps can occur for as short as a few seconds to as long as a few minutes or even an hour or so, it’s important to know how to prevent them. For athletes, or those looking to exercise, you’ll want to know how to prevent a muscle cramp, so you don’t have to sit out of the game or activity. This article will discuss seven methods to prevent muscle cramps to keep you in the game.
1. Train Appropriately
For athletes or those looking to work out, you need to make sure that you’re training appropriately. This means that you don’t overexert yourself. How can you do this? The first step, for those looking to train for an event or sporting match, is to train for the event. Understand what is going to be required of your body and train yourself, so your muscles are prepared to deal with the strain. You also need to make sure that you ward off fatigue–especially muscle fatigue. Again, this has to do with your training. Understand your limits and listen to your body. It usually tells you when it’s had enough. For the day before the big event or match, you should only train a small amount, so your body can have plenty of time to rest before it’s called upon to work hard.
Pacers are also an excellent method of not just measuring where you are on a fitness level compared to what the demands for the event or match are, but also an excellent method for building up your stamina. The following methods of prevention all attribute to this idea of training appropriately as well. You should incorporate them all.
2. Acclimate to the Environment
As mentioned before, the temperature can play a key role in how your muscles react when being used. Either during hot temperatures, when you’re performing high amounts of activity or in extreme cold, they are affected. In regards to hot temperature, you strain your muscles by working out in the heat. As for cold, the shock of the temperature is enough to send your muscles reeling. As such, you can easily prepare for the temperature. Dress appropriately–cool clothes for hot temperatures, and warm for cool temperatures. Using ice packs and hand warmers are excellent after working out to soothe muscles.
3. Prevent Dehydration
There’s no end to how dehydration can negatively affect your body. Biological functions require water in order to work, and if there isn’t an abundant flow, these processes can be slowed or stopped. Water–along with blood–helps transport key nutrients along the body. Water can also contain certain minerals and vitamins that the body needs. As such, if there is a deficiency in water, then your body will react negatively. Without water to keep muscles hydrated and lubricated, they stiffen and tense, and eventually can form a cramp. Since parts of your body can shut down without water, hydration is crucial.
4. Salty Food and Sodium
You may blink your eyes at this prevention method, but certain studies have actually shown that increasing your salt levels can significantly reduce the chances of receiving a muscle cramp. As you sweat, you actually lose salt, and since it is a key electrolyte for your body, it will cause a reaction. Because it can sometimes take awhile for a body to replenish its sodium levels on its own, the chances of cramping increase. As such, it’s recommended that you drink some pickle juice or consume other foods or drinks that have an increased salt content. Break out the bacon!
5. Stretch
Perhaps the easiest and most popular prevention for muscle cramps is stretching. This is obviously one of those tactics you can use when you’re training appropriately. Stretching helps warm up your muscles and allow them to flex easier before you call upon them for massive activity. It’s also crucial that you stretch afterward, in an effort to relax the muscles after the strain they just performed. You may also want to consider massaging the muscle while you’re stretching, especially after the workout or event. If you’re experiencing a cramp, you might want to consider using a heating pad while stretching.
6. Warm Up and Cool Down
This technique plays hand-in-hand with stretching and training appropriately. You can’t just run out onto the field or start running down the street without warming yourself up first. Stretching can be a part of that warm up. However, you should also consider just walking first, perhaps doing a few jumping jacks to have blood circulate. This goes for after working out or the match, too. Stretch and perhaps slow things down to a walk for a minute or two. Cooling down helps your muscles relax and for the stress levels and minerals within the muscle to reduce and regulate normally.
7. Electrolytes
Electrolytes are charged chemicals in your body such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, potassium, and chloride. They’re essential for signaling, regulating blood pressure, as well as maintaining the balance of fluids. They’re especially key in muscle contraction and relaxing. If there’s an electrolyte imbalance, you can be sure that your muscles are going to know about it. They can be lost through sweating, so if you’re working out hard, you’re losing electrolytes. An easy way to restore them is through the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables. So, making sure you have a good snack before and after is highly recommended.
