Muscle cramps!! HELP!
 

I started playing a game called DDR for part of my exercise routine. (It's a game where you jump on these little arrow things as they go up the screen to music... It makes a lot more sense when you see it.)

Anyway, I've actually been playing it for a really long time. What I'm curious about is... Will increased exercise leave you prone to muscle cramps at first? I obviously have gained a lot of muscle in my legs from the game, but I woke up this morning with the most horrible cramp in my right leg. I've been trying to walk it off but it's hard to without limping.

Leg Cramps
 

Make sure you're taking potassium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc supplements (you can usually get the calcium, magnesium, and zinc in one pill). That will take care of the cramps!

Dance Dance Revolution! :D Can't play that game, as my brain and feet rarely communicate efficiently.

Anywho, make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Not just when you're exercising, but all the time. Hydration is the key to reducing cramps. :)

Ahh, DDR just takes a lot of practice. I can get to the middle levels. I'm getting so much better. I drink between 64 and 100oz of water a day. Should I drink more?

I'll look into the supplements. Will a regular multivitamin work?

A regular MV will help. But I agree with kmarie1351, especially with the potassium. Just make sure you get a quality multi, with the right minerals as well.

I drink as much as 300 oz of water on heavy workout days. You might consider upping yours a tad but "heavy" is a bit subjective.

One way to get extra potassium is to use something like Morton's Salt Substitute. 1/4 tsp provides about 600 mg of potassium. I can drink up to 3/8 of a tsp mixed with a packet of splenda in a 12 oz glass of water without much problem but everyone has there own taste. Just use some caution and don't go crazy with this. Potassium is a major chemical in maintaining nerve system functions and regulating heart functions. Extremes of too little or too much can have nasty consequences. :-( If you are useing a program like "FIT DAY" or "DIET POWER", adjusting potassium intake (or any other major nutrient for that matter) can be more accurately done.

That being said, I did seem to find that ensuring sufficient calcium seemed to do the trick.

BTW, in a thread on another board we had a discussion about cramps and one thing many noticed was that cramps often preceeded "da whoosh". LOL The theory we batted around was that a sudden loss of weight also flushed a lot of water out and thus electrolyts.

YMMV

Thanks for your suggestions! I bought some calcium and potassium supplements and have been taking them. They seem to help a little, but I'm going to give them more time before I make any judgments.