Keeping Cramps Away....

A common question about nutrition and exercise is how to prevent cramping. Here are some ideas to help prevent cramping from disrupting a lovely day of bike riding. :o)

For digestive/abdominal cramps, the advice from my last post about a “nervous stomach” is where I’d start. Those same tips are what helps keep your digestive system running smoothly and hopefully prevent cramps. Another tip is to focus on your breathing. Keep those deep breaths going so that oxygen can get into your system and keep your blood pumping and all systems going. Breathing is not really a nutrition tip per se, but breathing does do wonders for digestion. When riding a bike, we can tend to get hunched over, making our airway less open. This makes it challenging to take good deep breaths, and as a result we may be limiting the amount of oxygen we're taking in. By focusing on keeping your chest and shoulders as open as possible and breathing deeply, you may find relief from cramps and hopefully prevent cramps altogether.

For muscle cramps, particularly in those big muscle groups in your legs, cramps that creep up at the end of a long ride or in the hours afterwards often indicate low levels of electrolytes and early stages of dehydration. So…..back to the importance of fluids and electrolyte replacement! This means drinking enough fluids and sports drinks before, during, and after riding.

Low levels of the electrolyte potassium are often blamed for muscle cramping. One of my favorite Spin instructors once told us how at the end of a stage of the Tour de France, riders are sometimes handed whole baked potatoes that they eat like apples…. and wash it down with a sports drink. The reason? Potatoes are rich in potassium and easily digested carbohydrates, which combined with the sports drink gives them the extra potassium to replace those electrolytes (and also glycogen, which I’ll cover later) and also help prevent cramping.

Two other lesser-discussed electrolytes—calcium and magnesium—may also play a role in muscle cramping. That’s why it’s a good idea to eat a substantial snack or meal soon after a long ride.

As I type this it’s raining rather furiously…..but hopefully Mother Nature is getting that out of her system so we can enjoy great riding weather on Sunday morning! Hope to see you on your bike in front of the Y at 8am!

Ride on!
Shelley