The sudden hardening and contraction of any muscle in our body with severe pain is called “cramp”. Everyone who does sports has to stop or stop moving because of cramps because cramps occur suddenly against our will. If you're ready to talk to your body, let's take a look at what cramps mean.
Our life is based on a balance, although we try to disrupt this balance, the systems we have do their best to warn us. We torture ourselves countless times to get rid of our excess weight or to get in shape quickly until the wedding date. We equate being hungry, overloading and doing sports for hours with very good results, as a result, our body tries to communicate with us and tell us that something is wrong, of course, to those who can hear and understand.
Among the causes of cramps, we can show overloading, straining the muscles, wrong posture, fatigue and dehydration. In daily life, the most cramp cases are experienced in these regions, since more load is placed on the lower extremities (legs and feet).
If you are ready, let's get to know more about cramps and their types so that we can be prepared for unexpected surprises and correct our mistakes.
Muscle cramps: Sweating is not just losing water, we lose minerals such as water, calcium, sodium and potassium from our body with sweat, and our muscles become much more sensitive, and then all muscles become candidates for possible cramps because we do not get enough water and minerals.
Stomach cramp:
Eating something just before training time causes the blood flow that should go to our muscles to meet the circulation needed by the digestive system. If the blood flow is intense towards the muscles, we may experience stomach cramps, or on the contrary, we may experience muscle cramps when things are going well for our stomach. We should eat the main meal 1,5 - 2 hours before exercise and drink enough fluids so that we can prevent unexpected stomach cramps.
Regional cramps: It occurs especially in regional studies, that is, when a muscle is overworked. At that moment, the building materials needed by the muscle cannot be taken at the speed required for contraction and cramping occurs. In this case, it is necessary to take a break from working and wait for the muscle to relax. If the same situation repeats more than once, the exercise is terminated and the relevant muscle is relaxed with stretching movements.
Meaningless cramps: Starting exercises without warming up is a big mistake. In order for the body to warm up, increase the joint fluids and become flexible, we must start by warming up, otherwise our body will tell us that we have made a mistake with surprise cramps.
What should I do when cramping?
First of all, we should hit the cramped area with light touches and massage, and then we should relax the muscle by stretching it in the opposite direction, but these movements should be done gently, not hard, so that the related muscle will relax and relax.
Action Plan Against Cramps
- Exercise means strengthening muscles and increasing joint fluids, so never neglect to exercise regularly.
- Start your workouts with a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes of warm-up and finish with a cool-down in the same amount of time.
- Don't get dehydrated because cramps can be prevented by making up for the fluids and minerals lost through exercise.
- Watch out for carbonated drinks, alcohol, cigarettes and black tea consumption.
- Against mineral deficiency, foods rich in calcium (yogurt, milk, cheese, green vegetables), magnesium (mineral waters), sodium and potassium (banana) should be consumed.
- When you pour the water from the food you cook, you spill important minerals and vitamins, so use the cooking water of vegetables, etc. in your meals.
- In order to relax the muscles, get a massage, especially the tense ones, so that you increase the circulation to the muscles.
- WARNING: Simple cramps will pass in a few minutes, otherwise you should consider long-lasting and repetitive cramps and consult your doctor. Especially the elderly and pregnant women need to be more careful.
