Have you ever seen an athlete at a big game suffer muscle cramps? Well this can be caused by a decrease in electrolytes. Profuse sweating causes this. One of the best and quickest cures for this is by drinking Gatorade. Gatorade is high in electrolytes and replenishes the electrolytes in the system. This is why Gatorade is on the sidelines of games.
Gatorade was actually invented by scientists at the University of Florida and given to the Florida Gators during their football game to prevent dehydration and loss of electrolytes. Hence the name "Gatorade." 😉
You might not want to drink Gatorade as it tends to be high and sugar and other things. There are other options. Read on.....
Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. They are in your blood, urine, tissues, and other body fluids. Electrolytes are important because they help balance the amount of water in your body. They make sure that your nerves, muscles, the heart, and the brain work the way they should.
Sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate, and magnesium are all electrolytes. You get them from the foods you eat and the fluids you drink.
The levels of electrolytes in your body can become too low or too high. This can happen when the amount of water in your body changes. If something upsets this balance, you may have too little water (dehydration) or too much water (over-hydration). Some medicines, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, and liver or kidney problems can all upset your water balance.
Muscle cramps can be alleviated by:
Frequently stretching the muscle that is cramping
Adding Electrolytes to your water (notice potassium is an electrolyte)
You can now purchase water at your grocery store, gas station, or pharmacy that has electrolytes added to it. You can also get electrolytes from your Aminio Acid or BCAA drink. I recommend Scivation BCAA powder. You can purchase this at your local supplement store or Click Here to buy from Amazon.
Use these as an intra-workout drink. They are great to replenish the fluids and vitamins lost during the workout. However, it also helps with daily mineral intake. You can also add them to your water during the day.
If you suffer from muscle cramping it could be because you are in need of electrolytes. Try adding a drink with electrolytes for a month and you may see a huge difference.
Scivation Xtend Go (Click Here to buy on Amazon) has caffeine as a stimulant and could be used as a pre-workout, intra-workout or a great go-to for an afternoon 'pick me up'. Much better for you than soda. ;)
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