By Coach & Fitness Trainer Jesi Mandagaran
Magnesium, a seemingly forgotten homie of ours is widely needed more than ever. Magnesium, a mineral that can only be ingested, is responsible for over 300 biochemical reactions within the body, every minute of every day. Let’s take that in… Magnesium is a supreme need for proper body function, every minute of the day. Yeah, I gotta say, that’s a pretty good reason to have Magnesium as one of our main homies. We are learning that millions of Americans are Magnesium deficient and don’t even know it. The positive in that is, we are becoming aware of it, therefore we can fix it. Here I’ll drop some guidelines of helping you identify whether you’re deficient or not and how to make adjustments if you are.
It’s important to note, that your regular doctor visits with blood tests, cannot detect definitely if you are deficient or not, since the body HEAVILY depends on a tight ship of magnesium levels in the bloodstream. If the bloodstream is low in magnesium, it will pull from bones, cells, and even organs to keep its bodily function. For a while anyway—which means your bones and cells are greatly depleted of magnesium, therefore the blood tests cannot detect that—it’ll only read the blood cells. That’s a good thing, right? Meh—not entirely. Sure, it’s okay for a while, but eventually, your body will malfunction into many problems like Cardiac problems. In fact, over half of people who come crashing into the hospital with an acute heart attack, are magnesium deficient. ACUTE—even though this fact came from a well known Doctor (Dr. Ken Berry), you should still follow other recommendations your Doctor provides and monitor your conditions closely. So, unless you are SEVERELY low in magnesium, your blood tests may not reflect the whole story. And if it is severely low in your blood tests, chances are you’ve missed the subtler signs of deficiency and have already experienced some severe problems as a result.
Here’s how you can detect if you’re magnesium deficient yourself:
- Low Energy (chronically)
- Insomnia (sleeplessness)
- Muscle Cramps (eye twitching, calve cramps etc.)
- Tingling sensations in toes and fingers
- Anxiety/Stress
- Osteoporosis (brittle bones etc.)
- Muscle weakness
- Constipation
- Heart arrhythmia (irregular heart beat- too slow or too fast)
- Severe morning sickness in pregnant women
** THESE ARE JUST HELPFUL SIGNS FOR SELF DETECTION, YOU SHOULD STILL GO SEE A DOCTOR IF THESE SIGNS ARE PRESENT OR PERSIST.
As I mentioned above, Magnesium MUST be digested into the body—it is NOT created by itself by some bodily unicorn organ within. That means, we must consume—eat—magnesium rich foods or supplement properly to ensure balance of magnesium within the body. Here are some foods to get those Mag-Super-Powers:
- Avocados
- Nuts & Seeds (raw)
- Legumes
- Tofu
- Whole grains (buckwheat)
- Fatty fish (Salmon & Halibut)
- Leafy greens (Kale, spinach, collard greens etc.)
- Dark Chocolate (70% Cacao and up)
Again, it’s only by consuming is how we get our valuable homie—magnesium. Let’s be adults about this… EAT YOUR VEGGIES! A sneaky way to get those precious greens in, is by making a smoothie with some fruit. The old, ‘I hate vegetables’ excuse is out right silly when you stack it against all these health issues like heart disease. Another great way to ensure some Magnesium in your life, is to supplement. Supplement is NOT to be used as a lifeline, but to HELP get those nutrients in when not consuming regular nutrient rich foods on a daily basis. It’s not always a guarantee supplements are absorbed efficiently, so consuming foods in nutrients is still ideal. Life gets crazy, we know, that’s why we call them ‘supplements’—it’s to supplement your diet—in addition. Here are a couple great magnesium lines to add to your Vita-cabinet:
There are MANY magnesium supplements out there, but they don’t have great absorption properties and other Magnesium supplements have very specific duties. So, here are some important ones to consider in relation to our article and symptoms above:
- Magnesium Glycinate- calming and aids in sleep
- Magnesium Malate- aids increase energy levels and with muscle cramps. Helps with Mag ATP.
- Magnesium L-Threonate (Taurine)- boosts brain function. Creates faster efficient pathways within the brain.
There is much to talk about when it comes to Magnesium, but this blog was to highlight a huge problem around Magnesium deficiency, signs and symptoms to identify whether you are deficient or not and some tips to help you get balanced. I can dig deeper addressing Magnesium and its other magnificent properties it has working under her hood, but that’s for a later blog. Also, it would be worth further show casing all the types of Magnesium supplements and their jobs. For now, this baseline of understanding upon our forgotten homie Magnesium will do. Don’t let magnesium take the backseat in your health and fitness journey.
Not sure? Let us help you. Book a FREE Intro Session with us today.
Mag Up!
Coach Jess
REFERENCES:
9 Types of Magnesium By Thomas DeLauer
Magnesium Deficiency Signs By Dr. Ken D Berry
