Runner’s Cramps: Why You Get Them and How You Can Prevent Them

Thanks to Jessica Bratko from Athletico for the interview and writing of today's blog post!

Most runners have experienced it: your run is going smoothly and you’re feeling great, then all of a sudden you succumb to the dreaded side stitch, calf cramp or that feeling of “having to go.” Muscle and stomach issues can stop a runner dead in their tracks. With varying spring temperatures, muscle cramps are more common, as there is little opportunity to adjust to the change in weather.


Even with all advances in modern science, the true cause of exercise-induced cramps is still widely misunderstood. Kate Davis, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, consultant sports dietitian/nutritionist and owner of RDKate Sports Nutrition in Naperville, Illinois provides great insight regarding why cramps may occur while running. Kate has had numerous experiences working with institutions like the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, as well as the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO and IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. Check out what she had to say below to learn how to minimize, prevent, and act quickly when cramps occur.

Nutritional To-do's in Preparation for Next Season

With the holidays over, the off-season continues for many endurance athletes. Others are starting the building phase of their training. Regardless of which category you fall into, there are things you need to do now to prepare you for racing season this spring, summer and/or fall:

1. Review
Review your race nutrition for your top 3 races last year. What went well? What went poorly? Did your nutrition limit your performance? Did you feel like you had enough energy for the entire race? Did you cramp or have digestive problems during the race? Next, review the season as a whole. How did your body and pace hold up? Were you sick often or nursing a recurrent injury? Did you lose or gain a substantial amount of weight? Answering these questions will help you set goals for next season as well as identify the problems you then need to take to a sports dietitian.

5 Performance Nutrition Tips for Exercise in the Heat & Humidity

What a crazy week it has been across the country - high temperatures combined with high humidity has lead to heat-related incidences being reported all over the news. This weather does not help athletes in peak training and competition time. Help yourself maintain your training intensity with the following 5 tips.

1. Hydrate
Hydration doesn't start one hour before your workout...it starts as soon as your feet hit the floor in the morning. Drink 2 cups of water as soon as you get out of bed - even before breakfast. This will help kick-start the rehydration process. During your workout, take on a bit more fluid than normal; drink cold beverages to help keep your core temperature controlled.

2. Mind your electrolytes
One of the reasons sports drinks are better than plain water for training athletes is because your body loses more than water when you sweat...it also lose electrolytes (mainly sodium). Also, electrolytes are imperative for muscle contraction during exercise. Taking in electrolytes with fluid helps your body hold on to more of that fluid. This means you hydrate your body better and visit the bathroom less frequently. During your workout, consider drinking a sports drink to help your body hydrate better. One possible cause of muscle cramping during or after exercise is an imbalance of electrolytes; this is prevented by appropriate hydration with sports drinks. If you are not a fan of added sugars, try a no-calorie electrolyte supplement such as Nuun tabs or a no-calorie drink such as Powerade Zero.

3. Wear breathable clothing
When the air is already saturated with water (i.e. in high humidity), sweat does not easily evaporate from your skin. Breathable fabrics wick moisture away from your skin, which helps your body be more efficient at cooling itself.  Since there is an indirect relationship between body temperature and performance, staying cool is key. Note there is both warm weather and cold weather breathable clothing, so pay attention to what you are buying. Shell out the extra bucks - these clothes are worth it! And whenever possible, use a towel to wipe off excess sweat on your arms, face, legs, etc. It is not the sweating that cools your body, but the evaporation of that sweat.

4. Look for fluid on your plate
In addition to hydrating with fluids, choose foods with a high-water content, such as WATERmelon, tomatoes, lettuce, and melons. This will add to your daily fluid intake while also providing vitamins and minerals that athletes need for proper recovery.

5. Take it easy
No athlete responds well to those words. However, decreasing intensity for a day or two is better than recovering for several days from heat illness. If you find that your heart rate is skyrocketing, you are dizzy, or that you are experiencing chills or nausea, you need to find some shade, take a break, and hydrate. Force yourself to drink, even if you are feeling nauseous. Assess your hydration tactics and increase your efforts before you continue exercise in the heat. (Note: if you feel faint, find help immediately or call 9-1-1.)

Remember that it takes approximately 7-14 days on average for your body to acclimate to exercise in the heat. So be patient if you're not hitting your goal splits or heart rate ranges for a few days. Using these 5 tactics, you'll soon be back to your normal intensity.

Be Extraordinary,


RDKate


Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crestedcrazy/

Does what you eat before a workout cause side stitches?

I have written blog entries on muscle cramping, but it suddenly occurred to me that I have never touched on side stitches. This likely crossed my mind because I was dealing with one that came on in the middle of a workout one day. But is there any correlation between side stitches and performance nutrition techniques?.....well, lets find out....

What is a side stitch?
Some athletes call it a stitch - some call it a cramp. It's that pesky, cramp-like pain that is localized usually on the side, just below the ribs. Sometimes it is accompanied by stabbing shoulder joint pain. The level of pain varies from mild to severe. Sometimes athletes can exercise through the pain, while at other times this is simply impossible and pace must be slowed down or stopped completely.

Muscle cramps cramping your performance?

I often have athletes in my office who complain of muscle cramping. They wonder what they can do to ward them off. If only the answer was clear. Unfortunately it's not always apparent what might be "cramping your style"....

What are muscle cramps?

The exact reason why muscles cramp is unclear. It’s difficult to distinguish a single culprit, but improper training, stretching or carbohydrate intake techniques are sometimes the source. However, another common reason is an imbalance of electrolytes in the muscle may predispose the muscle to cramping. Electrolytes are present to help muscles contract and relax appropriately during exercise. You have probably heard the term “electrolytes” in sports drink or recovery drink advertisements. This is because during exercise the body can lose a substantial amount of electrolytes in sweat (mainly sodium). If these are not replaced in the right amounts, it creates an imbalance within the muscle, locking the muscle in a painful spasm.

Why would someone have problems with cramping?

If due to a nutritional imbalance, poor hydration habits can lead to muscle cramping. The most common is an infatuation with drinking only water during exercise. While this is fine during moderate or even semi-intense short-term (lasting <60 minutes) exercise, athletes completing prolonged vigorous exercise – especially more than 90 minutes at a time – need more than just water because they are losing more than just water. There can also be a substantial amount of electrolytes lost with water during sweating. Athletes who are particularly heavy sweaters or exercise for long periods of time need to be cognizant of this fact. Other hydration-related habits that can increase the likelihood of developing muscle cramping is exercising in hot and/or humid environments when the athlete is not acclimated or simply not drinking enough of anything during exercise – water or not.

How does one prevent muscle cramping?

Plan ahead and don’t drink just water during or after heavy exercise. This will assure that you are replacing your body’s electrolyte losses. During exercise, use a sports drink or diluted 100% fruit juice (half water, half juice) with added salt. Particularly heavy sweaters may need something with extra electrolytes such as Gatorade Endurance, or may choose to add a separate electrolyte supplement to their regular sports drink, such as Nuun tabs. Read my blog here for more information.

After exercise, you may need to continue that sports drink or instead use a recovery drink such as low-fat chocolate milk. Assure you are also getting enough potassium in your daily diet from foods such as pinto and kidney beans, bananas, tomatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, and milk. To maintain sodium levels, some athletes may need to use the salt shaker liberally at meals or eat salty foods such as pretzels, pickles, or canned foods. But remember, these types of recommendations are very individual and don’t apply to every athlete or even every day of the training year.

If you are having problems with muscle cramping during or in the hours after exercise, it’s important to re-evaluate your hydration plan before, during, and after exercise. Muscle cramping may be COMMON in athletes, but it is not smart and it IS preventable.

Be Extraordinary,


RDKate

Top 3 To-Do's for Your Summer Triathlons

With April already upon us, triathlon competitions will start as early as this month (wetsuit, anyone?). Whether you're planning to do a sprint triathlon or take a leap into the work of 1/2 or full ironmans, there are 3 key nutrition "to-do's" that you need to take care of ASAP to ready your body for competition.

1. Start focusing on your daily plate: breakfast, lunch, & dinner
Triathlons aren't won in only the days leading up to the race, but in the weeks and months of preparation and training. Along with the effort you put into your workouts, put effort into making sure your meals meet all of your body's needs.
-If you are planning to do mainly sprint-distance triathlons this summer, your plate should consist of 1/4 carbohydrates, 1/4 protein foods, and 1/2 fruits/veggies. Add a glass of water on the side and incorporate healthy fats into the three areas of the plates (think olive oil on your veggies, nut butters for protein, and omega-3 enhanced butters on your whole wheat rice or pasta).
-If you are training for Olympic-distance or longer triathlons, the increased training calls for an adjustment from a sprint-distance plate. Your plate should consist of 1/3 carbohydrates, 1/3 protein foods, and 1/3 fruits/veggies. Add a glass of water on the side and incorporate healthy fats into the areas of the plate (see above).

2. Start training your exercising stomach
Many triathletes complain that they get to race day and can't tolerate gu's, gels, chomps, or sports drink. The problem is often a lack of training...of the stomach. Decide now how you are going to meet your body's carbohydrate and electrolyte needs during the race. Pull up the race course and check out where the aid stations are and what will be handed out. If you know you can't tolerate what they are providing, it is time to invest in a good-quality fuel belt so you can carry your own fuel. Your race plan should include a nutrition plan too. This can be as detailed as you want, but you gotta have one. Remember, you need and typically can metabolize ~60gm carbohydrate per hour of endurance exercise. With training, some athletes can metabolize up to 90 gm of carbohydrate per hour. Most gels and chomps are ~25gm/pkg; mini Clif bars are ~20gm each; sports drinks are ~15gm/8oz. Create your nutrition plan and start using those products in training now.

3. Address special issues
Do you experience muscle cramps the last few miles of the run or the bike? Do you suffer from indigestion or diarrhea during the race? Do you often experience a drop in energy in the afternoon on a daily basis? Do you frequently get headaches or have trouble sleeping more than a few hours at a time? These are just a few of what I call sports nutrition special issues. Their causes are often rooted in poor nutrition habits; their solutions are often an easy fix or tweak. If you have a special issue that is affecting your training, see myself or another sports RD ASAP and address it. Don't wait until two weeks before your big race. By then you have already wasted good training time.

You spend a lot of money and time to be a triathlete, so don't sell yourself short by not tackling that final area of training: nutrition.

Be Extraordinary,

RDKate

Are muscle cramps cramping your performance?

It was big news last week when pro tennis player Rafeal Nadal "collapsed" during a press conference while having severe muscle cramping in his legs. During an interview afterward, he quickly laughed and brushed off the reporter saying, “[It's] nothing new – It’s nothing important...I just drink - that's all. ” While Nadal was very nonchalant, muscle cramps are no laughing matter and can severely hinder your performance.

What are muscle cramps?

The reasons behind why muscles cramp are often unclear. It’s difficult to distinguish a single culprit, but an imbalance of electrolytes in the muscle may predispose the muscle to cramping. Electrolytes are present to help muscles contract and relax appropriately during exercise. You have probably heard the term “electrolytes” in sports drink or recovery drink commercials. This is because during exercise the body can lose a substantial amount of electrolytes in sweat. If they are not replaced appropriately, it creates an imbalance within the muscle, locking the muscle in a painful spasm.

Why would someone have problems with cramping?

If due to a nutritional imbalance, a few habits can lead to muscle cramping. The most common is an infatuation with drinking only water during exercise. While this is fine during moderate or even semi-intense short-term (lasting <60 minutes) exercise, those doing prolonged vigorous exercise – such as someone like Nadal playing for multiple hours at a high competition level – need more than just water because they are losing more than just water. As I mentioned above, there can be a substantial amount of electrolytes lost with water during sweating. So, those who are particularly heavy sweaters or those exercising for long periods of time need to cognizant of this fact. Other habits that can increase the likelihood of developing muscle cramping is exercising in hot and/or humid environments when the athlete is not acclimated or simply not drinking enough of anything during exercise – water or not.

How does one prevent muscle cramping?

So the obvious way to prevent cramping? Plan ahead and don’t drink just water during or after heavy exercise. This will assure that you are replacing your body’s losses. During exercise, use a sports drink or perhaps diluted 100% fruit juice with added salt. Particularly heavy sweaters may need something with extra electrolytes such as Gatorade Endurance, or may choose to add a separate electrolyte supplement to their regular sports drink, such as Nuun tabs. Read my blog here for more information.

After exercise, you may need to continue that sports drink or instead use a recovery drink such as low-fat chocolate milk. Assure you are also getting enough potassium in your daily diet from foods such as pinto and kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, and milk. Some athletes may need to use the salt shaker liberally at meals or eat salty foods such as pretzels, pickles, or canned foods to maintain sodium levels.  But remember, these types of recommendations are very individual and don’t apply to every athlete every day of the training year.

If you are having problems with muscle cramping during or in the hours after exercise, it’s important to re-evalute your hydration plan before, during, and after exercise. What happened to Nadal may be COMMON in high-level tennis, but it is not smart and it IS preventable.