Cramping!!

TennVolsGal

Not from that! LOL...........I have been walking for a while not and recently got a treadmill to get in more walking but can't shake the cramps in my calfs! I think I know why but I wanted to get everyones advice just on the off chance I might be wrong. About 5 minutes into my walk they get very tight but if I can manage to push another 5-10 mins they usually loosen up.
Now I don't stretch before but usually stretch afterward, so is it not stretching before I walk? Or will this go away as I get fitter?
I've tried to add in more protein and that hasn't helped but just FYI.

Thanks and Merry Xmas!

Dlibo1013

Bananas help a bunch

TennVolsGal

Hmmm never heard this, I dont eat them often could be low potassium, will go grab some tomorrow, Thanks!

dmossett

My legs tend to cramp up too when I would work out. I found that drinking plenty of water before working out would help me.

Dlibo1013

helped me a bunch, i had same issue

Kminor67

Make sure you're stretching, getting enough potassium, and plenty of water. Lack of any of the above can cause cramping.

angebean

Lack of water has caused this for me. In fact, I have slacked the last week but worked out more and now my knee/calfs are killin me. Good luck!

Cake_Fiend

The points above are all valid, but also when you're stretching make sure you're working on your entire lower leg. There are muscles in the side of your calves which are postural muscles, designed to hold you still, and they don't like movement much. So if you're not really used to walking a lot this muscle won't be very flexible. I used to get cramps similar to yours when I was running but I've not had a problem since I started stretching it after every run along with all my other stretches. A good stetch for it is on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k89FlJYc7CM

It's about 2:30 in if you only want to see the one I'm talking about.

saychzzz

Stretching before a walk helps and then starting slow and building up on the walk. I start on a treadmill at 2mph and within 3-4 minutes work up in little intervals to 4mph. That gives the muscles time to wake up and get limber. Increasing potassium helps if y ou have cramps in the night but if it's only the first few minutes of your walk, it sounds like you're just warming up slow enough. Good luck!!

lilac67

a 1/3 of a cup of pickle juice is great for cramps

MzBug

You can also try 4oz of sports drink daily. That is what my doc suggested when I started cramping up. I get the low cal gatoraid and drink it at night before bed. Haven't had the problem in a long time now. Have to admit though that I slacked off on drinking it, I drink it more like 3 times a week. Just don't like the flavor of any of them.