The Bad Foods Runners Choose that Lead to Muscle Cramps

Have you been craving some unhealthy foods lately?

It happens to the best of us, even the seasoned runners and athletes. We sometimes feel like we deserve to eat what we want because we exercise regularly.

Unfortunately, a poor diet can drive your leg and even back muscles into spasm with piercing pain.
Our bad food cravings can drive us to eat a poor diet because nature is telling you that you need certain nutrients while your instincts are telling you that you are just really hungry. Because of this, you can often find yourself choosing the worst foods because they make you feel full and satisfied for the moment, but they don’t cover the nutritional requirements that healthier foods would meet.

In our office we see people who get horrible cramps and piercing pain in their muscles. We often find that there are two things happening, their body is imbalanced and they need some body work and light joint adjustments to get their feet, knees and back feeling better again. They also need better nutrition and consistent hydration to support their muscles so their bodies are stronger. When both of these causes of muscle pain and cramping are addressed, our clients get better very quickly.

Here are some of the foods you may be craving right now that can actually worsen your muscle cramps:
 Chocolate

 Alcohol

 Carbonated Drinks

 Oily, fatty foods

 Acidic foods

If you look at the list above and find that you are craving some of these foods, you are likely doing so because you are lacking at least two major nutrients in your daily diet – “calcium” and “magnesium”.
Here are some of the food sources that are good for you and can help stop your muscle cramps:

• Raw sesame seeds
• Raw pumpkin seeds
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Sardines
• Chinook Salmon
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Cooked soy beans
• Boiled Swiss chard
• Boiled spinach

Buy some of the groceries above and create a plan to get a lot more of these foods on your menu each day to settle your muscles and make your body feel better.

If you’re running or doing a lot of strenuous activity for a longer period of time, there is one major reason you get cramps during activity. This is, you are losing a lot of water and sodium in your sweat, make sure you rehydrate regularly with electrolyte and sodium-infused beverages to keep muscle cramps away.

These tips can be one key ingredient to putting an end to your muscle cramps. Having us check your body over to create balance in your muscles, joints and posture so they move and feel better is the other most important choice you can make. We can help you feel better quicker.

Call us at (610) 216-0790 to take advantage of our “Athletes Foot, Ankle and Knee Evaluation” or for other body aches and pains you are experiencing.