Don't let muscle cramps sideline you!
Many endurance athletes and daily exercisers alike suffer the pain of muscle cramps, usually in the calves, either during a sporting event or workout session or directly after. What causes these painful cramps?
There are many possible causes for why the cramping occurs. Some of these include dehydration, low blood sugar, salt imbalance due to sweating, nerve damage, compromised blood flow, heat or cold and even a disruption of energy along acupuncture meridians. While many of these are general causes of cramps, there is disagreement whether they are actually involved in exercise-induced cramping.
Research conducted by South African doctors on triathletes, and reported in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, July 2005, found that none of the these conditions seemed to actually cause the cramping. Rather, by conducting EMG studies on the athletes, the researchers demonstrated that the most likely cause of the cramping was muscle fatigue or a tear in the affected muscle itself.
The EMG studies showed noticeably higher electrical activity in the nerves that controlled the cramped muscles. They concluded that the muscle cramps appeared to be caused by exercise-induced damage to the muscles themselves. If that’s the case, muscle cramping can be prevented by slowing down when you feel tightness or soreness in any particular muscle.
Regular chiropractic care, along with pre-exercise stretching of the muscles are probably the two best ways to avoid muscle cramping. Should you start to feel a cramp or tightening, grabbing your toes and stretching the calf may stop the cramp, but most often, the muscle needs to simply rest for a bit.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The French Paradox
How do the French do it? They eat some of the richest, fat-laden foods in the world, yet they are some of the slimmest people in the world. In fact, only 7% of their population is considered obese!
The French eat more fat than we do, but they eat smaller portions and consumer fewer calories.
Red wine consumption is one explanation for this phenomenon. You know the French and their wines! One of the active ingredients in red wine is resveratrol, a grape compound from the skins of red grapes that reportedly fights cancer, heart disease and degenerative nerve disease. This fact alone led to an increase in red wine consumption worldwide.
One other thing about the French - they start out the day eating most of their daily food consumption, and then their meals get smaller as their day goes on.
Portion control seems to be another one of the main explanations for the paradox. Most portions are 25% smaller than what we’re accustomed.
Another thing. The French paradox is only a paradox if you assume that dietary fat is the major cause of obesity and cardiovascular disease. The French eat more fat than the rest of us, but they probably eat fewer calories, which over time can make a difference in weight gain.
You’ve no doubt heard the adage, “When in France, do as the French do.” Perhaps if we adopted their eating habits here, our obesity would diminish and our health would increase.
The French eat more fat than we do, but they eat smaller portions and consumer fewer calories.
Red wine consumption is one explanation for this phenomenon. You know the French and their wines! One of the active ingredients in red wine is resveratrol, a grape compound from the skins of red grapes that reportedly fights cancer, heart disease and degenerative nerve disease. This fact alone led to an increase in red wine consumption worldwide.
One other thing about the French - they start out the day eating most of their daily food consumption, and then their meals get smaller as their day goes on.
Portion control seems to be another one of the main explanations for the paradox. Most portions are 25% smaller than what we’re accustomed.
Another thing. The French paradox is only a paradox if you assume that dietary fat is the major cause of obesity and cardiovascular disease. The French eat more fat than the rest of us, but they probably eat fewer calories, which over time can make a difference in weight gain.
You’ve no doubt heard the adage, “When in France, do as the French do.” Perhaps if we adopted their eating habits here, our obesity would diminish and our health would increase.
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