Are you low in magnesium?
Although we have talked in general about lots of people being low in magnesium, it begs the querstion are you low in Magnesium? Given we can’t take a test, what are the signs you can look for to see if you are low magnesium?
- Anxiety
- Times of hyperactivity
- Difficulty getting to sleep
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Muscle spams and muscle cramping
- Fibromyalgia
- Facial tics
- Eye twitches or involuntary evey movements
In clinic we often see clients who’s muscles are really tight or contracted. Without magnesium in our body our muscles would be in a constant state of contraction. It should be noted that calcium causes our muscles to contract. While calcium and magnesium have actions that oppose each other they function as a team. So you must always consider your calcium levels when considering your magnesium levels.
References
Seelig M, Rosanoff A. The Magnesium Factor. New York: Avery Books; 2003
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Running & Running Injuries
In the UK around 10.5 million people run or jog as a leisure activity and or fitness activity. Running injuries are common and may variables can contribute. Running injuries can happen to both experienced and inexperienced runners - up to 79% of runners with get injured in any one year. Most running injuries occur in the lower extremities as you would expect. With the knee being the most common injured site followed by the lower leg, foot and upper leg. The top five injuries are:
- Patellofemoral pain - generic term for describe pain at the front and around the knee cap.
- Illiotibial band (ITB) syndrome - pain on the outside of the knee.
- Tibial stress fractures/syndrome - fatigue induced stress fracture.
- Plantar fasciitis - pain in the heel or bottom of the foot.
- Achilles tendonitis - pain, swelling and stiffness of the achilles tendon.

More how to chill out…
In my previous post I said that the activity you do to chill out doesn't matter it you just need to enjoy it and it absorbs you. So why not consider paying video games, yes video games. If you ask any gamer, who enjoys playing them and they will tell you it help them relax or de-stress. I know this may sound unlikey. However that is scientific research to support the idea that regularly playing video games can help people unwind an dimprove their ability to handle everyday stress. In 2010 Associate Professor Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson of the Texas A&M Public Research Facility demonstrated that both men and women who play violent video games long-term seem to be able to adopt mental skills to handle stress, become less depressed and get less hostile during stressful tasks. In 2014 reserarchers from University College London found that people who played video games after work experienced faster recovery from work related stress. While there are a number of video games on the market which are specifically aimed at helping people unwind and manage stress, it seems that almost any form of game playing will do the trick. Spending half an hour each day on a video console could be be as effective as going to the gym for helping you “chill out” at the end of a busy day. References http://www.christopherjferguson.com/hitman.pdf http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1418103/

How to avoid jet lag?
I know lots of people love travelling, but travelling to a new time zone can result in jet lag. Personally I did so much business travelling in my late 20's and then in my 30's I travelled for pleasure, that more recently I have been happy to stay put in England and simply pop over to Europe when I wanted some sun. This year I am planing to go on a training course in Canada so when I saw some recent research on avoiding jet lag it caught my eye. Jet lag occurs when your circadian rhythms are slow to adjust to the new time zone and remain on their original biological schedule for several days. This results in your body telling you it is time to sleep, when it's actually the middle of the afternoon, or it makes you want to stay awake when it is late at night. Here are some tips for minimizing the occurrence of jet lag:
- Select a flight that allows early evening arrival and stay up until 10 p.m. local time. (If you must sleep during the day, take a short nap in the early afternoon, but no longer than two hours. Set an alarm to be sure not to over sleep.)
- Avoid alcohol or caffeine at least three to four hours before bedtime. Both act as "stimulants" and prevent sleep.
- Try to get outside in the sunlight whenever possible. Daylight is a powerful stimulant for regulating the biological clock. (Staying indoors worsens jet lag.)
- On the flight set the time on your watch to the local time of your destination so you can mentally start adjusting to the new time zone.
- When you arrive eat with the locals.

