Over 2 years ago, I wrote how I used to suffer from back spasms (which manifested themselves as stiff necks). After identifying what I thought were the causes, I reduced both the frequency and intensity of them. I’m knocking on serious wood here (karma bit me a few times after writing blog posts like this), but since adding 1 more thing to the list, I haven’t had one single episode.
Originally, I identified some causes:
1) Falling asleep on my couch, which is soft and offers no back support.
2) Drinking too much caffeine.
3) Stress.
4) Being run down. From lack of quality sleep, or colds, or running around too much.
5) Being dehydrated.
Usually it would take a combination of some of those to trigger spasms. If all 5, I used to call it “the perfect storm.”
One of the many things that inspired my smoothie/juice endeavor was reading about kale (an ingredient in my “staple” blends). It is high in magnesium, potassium, and calcium. A smoothie/juice was an easy way for me to get kale in my diet regularly. Those three nutrients are important in preventing muscle spasms and cramps. I’m not sure if I was deficient of those nutrients before (I probably was), so with kale (and bananas) I think I’m getting enough and what I think has made a big difference.
So…
6) Get adequate amounts of magnesium, potassium, and calcium (sodium too, which I definitely always got enough of).