calf muscle cramps

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mrnice1058
mrnice1058 Posts: 54 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I don't get it when I'm playing basketball after 3 or 4 full court games I would jump hard and my calf locks up. I drink 14 cups of water a day I drank 64 oz of Gatorade and 24 oz of water and had 2 bananas today. What am I doing wrong?

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  • glennstoudt
    glennstoudt Posts: 403 Member
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    Doing everything right with all that exercise. Look at your intake of sodium and potassium. Take supplements if your diet doesn't provide enough with that schedule. It's not about hydration it is about electrolyte balance. Gatorade is not going to get it done.
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
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    I had bad leg cramps at night and after long runs. Quite often so painful I'd have to get up and walk around at 3am. I now have one of these tablets in a tall glass of water before longer workouts or if I feel a cramp starting up.

    https://nuun.com/products/nuun-active

    Gatorade and PowerAde etc. seem to be like lolly water to me and I don't like them, find them ineffective and I don't believe they are as good as their marketing departments say.

    I had to try a few products before I found this one; some manufacturers will give away sample products that you can try to see if they fit the balance for your lifestyle and physiology.
  • jdcompany1969
    jdcompany1969 Posts: 1 Member
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    I am diabetic and frequently get muscle cramps. What I have found that works extremely well is taking a calcium supplement each day. When I do not take the supplement for a period of time, my cramps come back.
  • upgradeddiddy
    upgradeddiddy Posts: 281 Member
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    mrnice1058 wrote: »
    I don't get it when I'm playing basketball after 3 or 4 full court games I would jump hard and my calf locks up. I drink 14 cups of water a day I drank 64 oz of Gatorade and 24 oz of water and had 2 bananas today. What am I doing wrong?

    I think the bananas and Gatorade might have done you in. It's both hydration and electrolyte balance and ideally you want that 1:1. Potassium pushes water out of the body while sodium retains it so just having the Gatorade may have been slightly ok (also mind the sugar. Try the lower calorie ones) the bananas chuck full of potassium may have been the overkill where your muscles were not getting water.
  • mrnice1058
    mrnice1058 Posts: 54 Member
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    I didn't eat the banana while I was playing I took one for breakfast and one for lunch today that is my norm I'm guessing the g2 Gatorade just isn't cutting it for me
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    Check your magnesium intake
  • coryrood
    coryrood Posts: 100 Member
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    Pickle juice

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