Don’t let a foot cramp your style

Don’t
Let a Foot Cramp Your Style

You might be sitting at your desk, walking down the
street,
or—most likely—sound asleep when a foot cramp strikes. Whenever, wherever,
there’s only one reaction: Make it stop, now! OUCH!

What causes a foot cramp?
Contrary to
popular belief, exercise isn’t usually the culprit, although a period of a lot
of exercise, like running, can cause the muscles in the foot to cramp up, but
foot cramps are more likely due to nutritional deficiencies—particularly an
imbalance of water and electrolytes in your body. Foot cramps happen when the
muscles of the foot contract on their own—an internal misfire that happens when
there’s an imbalance in the ratio of water to electrolytes (namely potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium). What’s
more, insufficient movement in the lower extremities—for example, not stretching your toes, calves, and
thigh muscles before and after exercise
and before bedtime—can also make you susceptible to cramping.