Top Five Athletic Benefits
OF MAGNESIUM
SKINCARE
SABINE SCHROEDER
Spa in a Jar
Are you sore after hard workouts? Do you
feel bowled over by exercise stress? What
about sleep? If you can’t remember the last
time you had a restful night, there’s a good
chance you’re not getting enough
magnesium. As the second most prevalent
electrolyte in the human body, we know
that magnesium plays a crucial role in cell
energy production and recovery. Even small
shortfalls in magnesium can seriously
impair performance. A 2012 study of elite
runners found that it was magnesium, not
sodium or potassium, that was the
electrolyte most depleted during the race.
Low magnesium stores resulted in
significant cramping and inflammation for
the runners. Here are five critical reasons to
make sure your magnesium levels are up
to par;
1. Greater Strength - If you’re not optimizing
your magnesium stores, you’re missing out
on peak performance and muscle gains.
Without enough magnesium, enzymes that
enable muscle protein synthesis are
impaired,
compromising
recovery,
hypertrophy, and strength.
2. Hormone Balance - Healthy testosterone
and balanced cortisol levels can make or
break an athlete. Magnesium helps main-
tain this equilibrium by helping to free up
testosterone so it can work its magic in the
body. It also allows for the metabolism of
the stress hormone cortisol after workouts
by reducing nervous system activation.
3. Better Insulin Sensitivity & Body
Composition - Magnesium is known as the
mineral of insulin sensitivity. It helps your
body metabolize carbs while influencing
the activity of hormones that control blood
glucose levels. Robust magnesium creates
a metabolic environment that will help you
get superior muscle development and a
leaner body composition in less time.
4. Faster Recovery - Magnesium accelerates
recovery processes and aids sleep. It fights
inflammation, relieves cramps, raises
antioxidant levels and replenishes energy
stores in the muscle. It also calms the
central nervous system lowering the heart
rate for a restful sleep.
5. Greater Power & Vertical Jump -
Magnesium is necessary for the explosive
movements, making it a key nutrient for
athletes who want to enhance athletic
performance. Volleyball players who took
350 mg of magnesium for 4 weeks
increased vertical jump height by an
average of 3 cm.
How To Take Magnesium: Scientists
recommend a minimum of 3.5mg – 7 mg
per kilo of body weight a day, up to 10mg/kg
for athletes. Some of this can be consumed
from food - whole oats, raw nuts, beans,
and bananas. However, due to food
production from depleted soils this is never
enough. The easiest/most efficient way is
using a well-formulated magnesium spray
on your skin in the morning, after training
or even during competition. With an
absorption rate of under 2 minutes you will
boost your body functions exactly when you
need it. Stay away from any oral forms of
supplementation as the stomach acid
required to digest it destroys over 2/3 of
what you think you are getting – and makes
you feel queasy in the process, not a very
efficient mode of delivery at all.