Healthy Living: LIFESTYLE CHANGE TO REDUCE PULLED MUSCLES

There are some things that I simply do not enjoy doing because of a problem I have been experiencing ever since I was a child- not a single day passes without me having to experience muscle pulls. This condition is that of pulled muscles. Recently when I was in Nairobi, my friends took me out for a dance with some of their friends, when in the middle of dancing I experienced a sudden pain and stiff muscles. Without saying anything I walked off the dance floor and went to where we were sitting, removed my deep heat rub from my purse and walked to the ladies where I massaged my legs for almost ten minutes before I went back to my seat. My friend Jackie knows about my problem and had to explain to her friends as to why I walked off the dance floor. As a child I used to think that it was because I was over active that is why I experienced pulled muscles almost on daily basis, but I found out a different story when I met doctor and explained my problem when I was visiting my ailing mother in law in hospital two weeks ago. Most likely you are lacking some vital vitamins in your body that is why you suffer from acute pulled muscles, he told me. Well that is not something I was expecting to hear, I thought it was some kind of a hereditary disease but alas I was in for a shock. Some people think that experiencing acute pulled muscle quite often is a normal thing, but it has been proven that it is not. After talking to the doctor I hit the net like never before in search of an answer to my pulled muscle illness. I read that snacking on bananas in between meals can alleviate muscle cramps and pulled muscles. Also according to one book called Natures Pharmacy for Children: Drug-Free Alternatives for More Than 200 Childhood Ailments, bananas are loaded with vitamin C, vitamin B6, fibre, magnesium and potassium, which are nutrients that can strengthen your immune system, improve muscle function, decrease muscle fatigue, repair damaged muscles and ease pulled muscles. Recommended foods include apricots, tomatoes, avocados, squash, cucumbers, cantaloupes, papaya, bell peppers, cauliflower, watermelon, pinto beans and green beans. This book was authored by Lendon Smith, Lynne Walker and Ellen Hodgson Brown. Elsewhere it is written that drinking approximately eight to ten glasses of water daily can help relieve a cramped or pulled muscle. Muscles that receive an adequate amount of water are less likely to cramp and pull, according to Swami Sadashiva Tirtha, author of the book Ayurveda Encyclopaedia: Natural Secrets to Healing, Prevention and Longevity. Other foods with high water content include herbal teas, broth-based soups, oranges and lettuce. Swami Tirtha recommends that you avoid alcoholic beverages because they can deplete your body of water and result in dehydration. Parched muscles are more likely to cramp, spasm and pull. This theory might have truth in it, because I have found out that every time I am out drinking I must experience pulled muscles. Also increasing one’s daily consumption of low-fat dairy products can reduce or eliminate painful muscle cramps and pulls. Joyce Johnson, author of the book Fluids and Electrolytes Demystified explains that low-fat dairy products such as skim milk, low-fat milk, reduced fat yogurt and cottage cheese are rich in calcium, an electrolyte that supports healthy bones, muscles and teeth, soothes muscle cramps and heals pulled muscles. Other foods rich in calcium include collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli and fortified orange juice. Last but not least incorporating black beans into one’s daily diet can ease painful muscle cramps and pulls. According to Michael Zimmermann, author of the book Burgersteins Handbook of Nutrition: Micronutrients in the Prevention and Therapy of Disease, black beans are rich in magnesium, a trace mineral that can regulate electrolytes, relax tense muscles, repair damaged muscles and reduce muscle cramps, spasms and strains. Other magnesium-rich foods include fresh broccoli, halibut, peanuts, soy milk, tofu, whole grains, pumpkin seeds and cooked spinach. Sports men and women do experience muscle pulls because of overstretching of their muscles, but a normal person doing normal routine sports should not be experiencing muscle pulls every now and then. But if you experience acute muscle pull every now and then, it is time to change your lifestyle for more comfort in your muscles. kayitesius@yahoo.com

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Healthy Living: LIFESTYLE CHANGE TO REDUCE PULLED MUSCLES