Welcome back! Lets discuss magnesium and physical activity today! I hope that everyone had a great week and were able to include more magnesium into their diets. Last week we mentioned how magnesium is linked to regulating our moods and emotions. Allowing us to be more happy and how we can incorporate more magnesium into our diets. This being physical week, we will be taking a closer look at some of the ways that magnesium helps our bodies be more efficient when working out. Leading us to increases in happiness.
Magnesium and Physical Activity
Why Magnesium is good for the body
Getting regular exercise, even in small amounts, can give us big boosts in happiness (1). Sometimes however, our bodies just don’t want to cooperate with us. We know that getting that 20 minute walk in during the day is important, but our bodies sometimes tell us that they just aren’t up for it. Magnesium can play an integral part in allowing our bodies to be healthy enough that we can go out there and seize the day. Giving us our happiness boost.
Important for a healthy heart
All physical activity is dependent on healthy well performing muscles. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body and magnesium plays important roles in making sure that our heart stays healthy and acts like it is supposed to. Where calcium helps the heart muscles contract, magnesium helps them relax. This interplay between calcium and magnesium leads to a healthy heartbeat. If you are deficient in magnesium, you may begin to see a rapid or irregular heart beat (2, 3). On top of that magnesium also is required in enzymes that generate electrical impulses that can have an affect on your heart (4,5). For both of these reasons, magnesium is shown to be an essential mineral for a healthy heart. We can’t exercise if our heart isn’t working as it should.
Other muscle issues
A deficiency in magnesium has also been linked to muscle cramps for the same reasons your heart can have problems. Again the dance between calcium and magnesium is what makes your muscles contract and then relax. If you do not have enough magnesium in your system, your muscles will begin to cramp because of their inability to relax (6). So if you are noticing a good amount of muscle cramps when you exercise and are getting plenty of hydration, you may want to look at how much magnesium is in your diet and if you need to increase it.
Feeling fatigued?
One of the earliest signs that you may have a magnesium deficiency is just an overall feeling of fatigue (7). While a number of issues physically could lead to fatigue, if you experience prolonged or severe fatigue even after getting good rest and are not under stress, you may be lacking in magnesium. This right here may be the reason that you are having such a hard time doing your daily exercise that you need to create all of those happiness endorphins.
Strong bones depend on magnesium
Have you ever tried to work out with a bone fracture? There are now studies showing that if you are not getting enough magnesium in your diet you could increase your risk for osteoporosis. Again there are a number of factors that correlate to brittle bones like deficiencies in either vitamin D and K, not enough exercise or old age. Not having enough magnesium in your body also lowers calcium in your blood which is the main building block for strong bones (8, 9). So make sure you add watching your magnesium intake if you are at a higher risk for reduced bone mass (10).
Takeaways
Magnesium is involved in every cell of your body (11). It is no wonder that it can have such an important role to play in making sure that your body is working as it should. Make sure you are getting the correct amount of magnesium through your food as we talked about last week. For adults, 350 to 400 mg of magnesium is a good amount to shoot for (12). This will ensure that your muscles, bones and overall energy levels allow you to get that important exercise that we all need to be our happiest.
If you missed last weeks newsletter, you can find it here.
Check out our most recent magnesium related recipe:
Avocado and Black Bean Brownies
Join Our Community: Find out more about our Challenge and participate by joining our private Facebook group, SPHappinessreset.
THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE: Continue to watch your magnesium intake and get it up to the recommended levels. Also, work on getting a good 20 minutes of exercise three times this next week. Bonus: If you take a bath after your workout, use Epsom salts (contains magnesium) to sooth sore muscles. We like to use Doctor Teals eucalyptus brand.
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