Magnesium!!!

WOD:   8/18/16

For time:
30 Handstand push-ups
40 Box Jumps 24"/20"
50 Kettlebell swings, 53/35-lbs.
60 Sit-ups
70 Burpees

 

Magnesium!

About a year ago I started using magnesium spray to help my slightly dysfunctional sleep patterns. I picked up a bottle of Life-Flo Magnesium spray from Natural grocers (http://www.life-flo.com/magnesium/magnesium-oil.html). 

The first time I used it went approximately as follows: I sprayed it on my skin 30 minutes before bed and went about my routine. Naturally I forgot I'd done this, and about forty minutes later I was trying to figure out if I had accidentally ingested cold medicine. I was SO DROWSY. Needless to say I had zero issues falling asleep that night and slept very well. 

But magnesium can help with much more than a good nights sleep. This special little mineral is responsible for the following:

  • Mood improvement: mag is required in serotonin production, and serotonin makes us happy! 
  • Big muscles: mag helps the body produce Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) which helps in muscle growth and strength
  • Flexibility: mag relaxes tight muscles!
  • Bone health: without mag our body can't effectively use calcium 
  • Exercise recovery: mag reduces buildup of lactic acid, the stuff that makes you sore after a workout
  • Hydrates: mag is an electrolyte and electrolytes help keep you hydrated
  • Lots more: I didn't want to bore you with a full chemistry lesson, but mag is responsible for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body!

It turns out that modern agriculture, the practice of putting fluoride in drinking water, and many common prescription medications (birth control and antibiotics for instance) are all responsible for a decrease in the amount of magnesium we consume and retain in our bodies. As a result, over half of US adults are deficient in this important mineral. Magnesium deficiency is associated with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, migraine headaches, asthma, and colon cancer (amongst other things). Yikes! 

Nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens are all great sources of magnesium. It is also available as a supplement (pill, oil, spray, salt soak, etc). Recommended daily intake is 400-420 milligrams for men over 14 and 320-260 milligrams for women over 14 and it is estimated that the average adult only consumes 100 milligrams a day through their diet. 

Bottom line: if you've thought about trying spray magnesium to help you sleep DO IT. If you've never thought about trying magnesium supplements, you probably should.

 

--Cassie Finer

Derek Eason