Guest guest Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 ALL CRAMPED UP! Friday, 26 August 2011 O-W-W-W! Oh, my...that's the sound you make when you get a muscle cramp. And when you get one, you may very well end up "owwing" for a while. Muscle cramps can happen at any time. You may be working out. You may be doing some yard work. You could be sitting on the couch watching TV or...even sound asleep in bed. But when you try to get up...it hits. Oh, the pain! Muscle cramps are often called charlie horses and if you've ever had one, you know what I'm talking about when I say...O-W-W-W! Muscle cramps usually target your legs. When I do one of my workout DVDs, I'm on my feet all day for hours at a time. And I'm doing many of the same movements, over-and-over again. (Hey, that's the way it is when you're working in front of the camera.) After a full day of taping, by the time I get home, some nights I have to literally drag myself upstairs to my bedroom. Once I crawl into bed, I'm hoping for a good night's sleep. But in the middle of the night...it strikes! My leg decides to cramp up on me. And to help relieve the pain, I struggle out of bed, stand up straight and wait for that charlie horse's pain to run its course. And for me, I have to tell you, it's the weirdest thing. It's as if my muscle has taken on a life of its own. I can actually see the cramped area of my leg twitching as my muscle stiffens up on me. And yet, common as muscle cramps are, most experts can't say for sure what causes them. But here's what they do know. Muscle cramps are more likely to occur during the hot summer months. That's because when you exert yourself in hot weather, all of that sweat drains a lot of water from your body. And it's water that helps your muscles contract and relax. That's why I always stress how important it is to drink plenty of water when you're working out. There's another possible cause for muscle cramps. And it's simply not stretching your muscles before you do a more strenuous activity with your legs. As you know, I warm up the muscles in your body before each of my workouts and I get you to cool those muscles down at the end of my classes. So have you ever experienced a charlie horse? Well, when you do, another thing that'll offer you some relief is to massage that muscle in your leg. I like to dab some moisturizer onto my hands and gently rub it into the muscle until the pain goes away. I also point and flex my feet when the pain strikes and within a few minutes, the pain is gone. Now if your muscle cramps are more frequent and severe and the pain doesn't go away right away, you need to share this information with your doctor. You want to be sure your muscle cramps aren't caused by some underlying problem. Well now, aren't you glad you stopped by to read today's message? You're now more knowledgeable about muscle cramps, what to do when you get one and how to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Love, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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