The Benefits of Magnesium
Hi, I’m Julie Hartley, a registered dieticianat the Wellness and Fitness Centers atWillis-Knighton. Today I want to talk to you about a mineral you have probably heard of, but not know thatit has incredible benefits. That is magnesium. Magnesium has over 300 different cellular functions in the body. It is also one of the body’s main electrolytes. It’s essential to our overall health. some of the benefits you might not be aware of. It regulates calcium. Most people think about calcium as just the bone-building mineral, but if magnesium isnot present the calcium is not able to doit’s job. Another one is we call magnesium the relaxation mineral. It helps relax muscles. It helps relieve cramping especially whenyou get a lot of cramps when you’re exercising. We also call it the relaxation mineral because it also helps with stress and anxiety. If you’ve had a really bad day, taking anEpsom Salt bath which actually high magnesiumis a great way to relax. If you struggle with fatigue and energy, we say magnesium is the first place we checkto see if there’s a deficiency also withB- Vitamin. It is one of those minerals that is absolutely essential to energy productionand overall heart health. It’s beneficial for improving arrhythmias,and it is also natural treatment for bloodpressure. A lot of people use magnesium to ease constipation and even prevents migraines. You can see there are so many benefits tousing magnesium. Unfortunately one of the problems is magnesium does not show up on a routine blood test. However, we know that the standard American diet which is full of processed food is verylow in magnesium. We really encourage getting magnesium rich foods in your diet, and also supplementationas long as your doctor approves. Let me show you a couple of foods that are rich sources of magnesium. The first one are greens, specifically spinach and chard. An excellent way to get in your diet magnesium and other minerals as well. You can saute’ it up with garlic or in asalad, or throw it in a sandwich is way toget it. Avacados are also an excellent source of magnesium. Also rich in other healthy fats and fiberas well as. Beans are a very good source, specificallyblack beans, very high in magnesium as wellalmonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds. You can make a trail mix, put a little darkchocolate in there. A great way to get magnesium in your diet. Also you use this for recovery: A coconutwater that has no sugar added is a great recoverydrink for when you sweat or for hydration. Really rich source of magnesium. Also a rich source of potassium. You can add that to a smoothie or in yourwater bottle whenever you’re leaving thegym. We want to include magnesium rich sources in our diet as much as possible, but it’salso a great idea to supplement. The only caveat is most of the supplements are magnesium oxide. It’s a very poor absorbed source of magnesium. So what I want you to look for are other sources like a critrate, a glymate, a malate. We usually says the “Ates” for magnesium. It’s a good thing to look for. How you would do that is to turn it around. The front would usually say some kind of magnesium complex. You would turn it around and it would show you the source of the magnesium, right here,and how much is source. So a great idea just to get one that has several different types and each type would do a differentthing in the body. So increasing your magnesium is a great idea for your overall health. You can get it in your food and then yoursupplementation if your doctor approves. If you like these tips and want to learn more, come join us at one of our wellness seminars. You can pick up a schedule at the front desk or find us online at wkfitness. com. Until I see you at a seminar. Live well