When it comes to maximizing your performance during intense physical activity, energy, stamina and endurance are crucial. Your ability to effectively re-hydrate and replace your body with lost electrolytes is essential to performing at your best. If you don’t, fatigue, dehydration and—worst of all— cramping will set in, causing decreased energy and stamina.
Whether we call them cramps, stitches, or just a pain in the butt, muscle contractions can strike without warning, putting a serious damper on any workout or practice. But what’s to blame for these uncomfortable muscle troubles?
It seems no one’s completely safe from muscle cramps, which commonly attack the calf muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, arms, and abs. In a perfect world, muscle fibers shorten and lengthen back up when they contract; a cramp occurs when the muscle fibers stay shortened, causing tension and that familiar pain.
Muscle spasms can also happen off the court, creeping in when we least expect it. Cramps can occur up to six hours after exercise so we may not be safe even after hitting the showers. And don’t rule out the notorious charley horse, which often attacks the leg muscles in the middle of the night.
When it comes to cramping, scientists aren’t 100% sure of the causes, but a loss of electrolytes and dehydration is the most common hypothesis, so it’s important to hydrate effectively and replenish lost minerals after intense physical activity. Our favorite electrolyte product is ENDURE from Trace Minerals Research. It contains Utah Sea Minerals and a plethora of other naturally occurring trace minerals to help replenish your body’s stores of potassium, sodium and magnesium—an essential electrolyte that naturally relaxes muscles to prevent cramping.
Staying hydrated during intense physical activity is a battle in itself because drinking too much water or sweet sports drinks can cause bloating or stomach aches. ENDURE can be added to plain water as an electrolyte booster with no carbs, sugars or calories for effective and efficient hydration that leads to enhanced performance.
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