Magnesium use in sport
Boosting performance and recovery
Magnesium is an essential mineral required by our bodies to perform more than 300 biochemical reactions. The use of supplementation in sport is a growing phenomena, as serious athletes and weekend warriors discover the performance and recovery benefits, allowing them to maximise their physical potential.
Magnesium contibutes to muscular performance, energy production, and oxygen uptake.
Addressing magnesium deficiency – signs and symptoms
Magnesium deficiency is very common and the list of indicators is long. For fitness enthusiasts, symptoms you may be deficient include:
- muscular cramps and spasm
- backache, headache
- oxygen deprivation
- irregular heart rate
- fatigue
- muscular or joint pain
- insomnia and sleep disorders
Emotional signs may include depression, mood swings and irritability that aren’t easily explained.
Boosting your magnesium consumption
Diet
Dietary sources of magnesium consumption are readily available, and can help to address deficiency, as well as being generally beneficial to our health.
Good food sources include:
- leafy greens (the darker in colour the better)
- nuts and seeds
- beans and lentils
- whole grains
- avocados
- potatoes
- fish and seafood
There has been debate about the reduction of magnesium in food sources due to modern farming processes, so choose quality organic produce where possible. It has also been found that dietary magnesium is not as readily absorbed as magnesium applied to the skin (Transdermal Magnesium).
Transdermal Magnesium (skin absorbtion)
A joint study published in the Nutrition Practitioner magazine conducted by Lenham Health and Herbal Research Centre in the UK, found that magnesium serum levels where significantly higher when magnesium was applied to the skin. The study claimed that:
“The therapeutic value of magnesium chloride as a transdermal application reaches well beyond the potential of dietary magnesium as it effectively saturates the tissues, delivering high concentrations of magnesium to where it is needed most i.e. at the cellular level, directly into the circulation, entering the tissue cells immediately. “
Vitality Options recommends transdermal application using a spray on liquid magnesium due to it’s increased absorption properties, and regularly use it during our massage treatments, which further enhances it’s absorption. This naturally sourced form of magnesium crystal (Chloride Hexahydrate) is found in remote salt waters located in the Tibetan Plateau adjacent to the Himalayas. Our natural formula is produced right here on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.
Magnesium spray is best liberally applied several times a day, or massaged into problem areas before, during and after training.
Vitality Options also supports the use of Epsom salt baths. Epsomite is a naturally forming magnesium sulphate crystal, and a highly effective source of transdermal magnesium. It is much more cost-effective than magnesium crystal salts for use in the bath, where a larger quantity is required.
Vitality Options Liquid Magnesium and Epsom Salts are harvested from naturally occurring sources and manufactured and packaged locally on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.
To become a stockist or make a purchase please visit our clinic or contact us.
Phone 07 5450 5729.
