Ease Muscle Cramps

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 181

Sunday, April 29th

I have heard many strategies over the years to avoid muscle cramps: everything from taking a multivitamin, to eating a banana, to stretching before bed. Not only are muscle cramps painful, they can really disrupt your workout.

In Pilates Style May/June issue, Daniel Loigerot offered this simple tip for easing cramps. She thanks her chemistry teacher for this pearl of wisdom. Basically, the next time you get a cramp, stretch the muscle while simultaneously holding your breath. For proper muscle contraction, you need both magnesium and calcium. Calcium is necessary for muscle contraction while magnesium is necessary for muscle relaxation. By holding your breath, you will help facilitate magnesium’s transfer across the cell membrane which helps relax the muscle. Loigerot is quoted as saying “Try is next time you cramp up in a session and see for yourself”. I cannot wait to see if this works for my clients!

I still believe that healthy diet, adequate water and good multivitamin are important for proper muscle contraction and control.

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