Cramps?

HeatherCanDoIt

I have lost a lot of weight and am feeling great. I have started working out harder and pushing myself. When I am working hard or running I find that I get horrible cramps in my right side that cause me to have to stop. I am wondering if there is something I can do to prevent them or move past them.
Help please!

spob

There is a supplement you can take. I want to say b6 or zinc but i am not sure. It makes a significant difference. Look it up under leg cramps via google, hope that helps!

lilchino4af

I found that when I got side stiches/cramps while running it was because I wasn't breathing correctly. Once I started controlling my breathing by taking a deep breath in and breathing out over 2-3 seconds helped ensure my muscles were getting plenty of oxygen. I haven't had issues since. Not sure if it's the same issue for you, but it's worth a try!

I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with pulled muscles in my legs due to lactic acid build up or not enough potassium. So maybe more potassium in your diet would help too - just stuff to consider :flowerforyou:

lilmissy2

I usually find that I get stomach cramps if I eat or drink a lot of water directly before working out. I try instead to stay well hydrated the rest of the time and not take any water for an hour before I work out then small sips during and loads afterward. With food, I think the size of what I have affects me more... I usually try to work out on a fairly empty stomach but if I am starving before a work out I have something small like a cracker just to tide me over until I can eat after the workout.

I imagine the cause of this is something that varies person to person though.

Sheri4MS

I use sport legs for my heavy endurance workouts.

pfenixa

If it's on your right side, it's my understanding that it's about the breathing. I don't get cramps, but sometimes I get this painful pulling feeling under my ribs on the right. When I tried to research it the only thing I really found was something about if you breath when you put your right foot down that your diaphram and (liver, kidney? I forget which) another organ pull away from each other, causing pain.

When I saw the title of the thread I thought of the cramps I used to get. When I first started running I would get what would feel like menstral cramps! It was horrible and I never really found out why I was getting them, but luckily it's not an issue anymore.

ksnurse25

Are you on any type of multivitamin supplement? A daily supplement may help. Also make sure that you are stretching well before working out.

ssmith8

The feeling of cramps and the burning sensation is a result of anaerobic processes within your muscles. You should try to increase your oxygen flow by working on breathing and also try to keep properly hydrated.

aymetcalf

I get cramps if I don't get enough potassium. Eat a banana before your workout and focus on your breathing during the workout. :flowerforyou:

HeatherCanDoIt

Thank you all for the ideas!