The last couple of months I have had some “minor” problems while training, especially the anaerobe training rides. I started cramping within 60 km and the cramps occurred typically in warm weather. That’s why I thought it was a question about hydration, but I have been drinking as normal and I added electrolytes in my water, so this couldn’t be the cause. My BGs have been pretty unstable the last months, probably because I started at a new job i thought. I was browsing the web and found an article about magnesium and symptoms of magnesium deficiency. When reading I discovered I had many of the symptoms as described. For example: No energy, especially in the morning – Fatigue, no motivation to ride, – Abnormal heart rhythm – “Depressive”, I was pretty tired of my diabetes and that I couldn’t manage it. To be sure if my finding were true I tried contacted Sheri Colberg.
Sheri Colberg is the author of “The diabetic athlete”, “Diabetic athlete’s handbook” and some other diabetic related book. Sheri is an exercise physiologist and professor of exercise and an adjunct professor of internal medicine. She’s specialized in exercise and diabetes.
Happily she replied really quick and she told me there are multiple cause cramping, which made it hard to figure what was the cause in my case. It could be my unstable BGs, this will make it harder to restore glycogen effectively. It could also be because I haven’t been training less than usual and finally even though I’m putting electrolytes in my water it is much easier for diabetics to get unbalanced for these electrolytes. Magnesium in particular can get depleted in insulin users and this is a major source of cramping.
After her answer I decided to try some Magnesium supplements, of course after having an accept of my own physician. As long as I didn’t exceeded the prescribed amount. Now it is 2 weeks later and some significant changes has happened. My motivation is increasing, I’m less fatigue, have more energy and last but not least…my BGs are much more stable. I have been training without any signs of cramps. It’s to early to say this has been the main cause of my cramps but nevertheless the magnesium supplements has some positive side effects. Underneath I’ll write down some risk factors and signs of low magnesium intake, if you have any doubts of having low levels of magnesium, please contact your physician before you take some supplements.
Risk factors and signs of low magnesium intake
Eating habits associated with low magnesium intake:
- You tend to eat white flour products instead of wholemeal
- You have low intake of green leafy vegetables
- You don’t eat much in the way of nuts and seeds or beans and lentils
- You regularly consume sugar or sugary products
- You drink alcohol regularly
- You follow a calorie-restricted or high-protein, low carbohydrate diet.
Possible symptoms of sub-optimal magnesium intake
- Muscle cramps, twitches or tremors
- Regular or excessive fatigue
- Feelings of irritability and/or lethargy
- Frequent mood swings, including depressions
- Pre-menstrual bloating
- Restless legs at night
If you have or have had the same experiences please let it know so other sport fanatics, diabetics or other people can get some help.
More information about magnesium, exercise and diabetics:
- The diabetic athlete by Sheri Colberg – ISBN: 978-0-7360-3271-1
- Diabetic athlete’s handbook by Sheri Colberg – ISBN: 978-0-7360-7493-3
- Body Fuel, food for sport by Peak Performance – webpage http://www.pponline.co.uk
- Office of Dietary Supplements – webpage: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium/
in 12 days, 19 hours, 51 minutes, 10 seconds, I’ll be challenging myself and my diabetes again in a 24 hour cycling challenge. I’m riding this challenge for 6th time and my goal this year is +600 km. My training has so far been as scheduled, se my progress on Endomondo.