With a New York winter on the way, many people are starting to flock to their neighborhood fitness centers and gyms in hopes of keeping up their exercise routines through the cold and snowy months ahead. If working out is the last thing you feel like doing, because leg cramps are cramping your style, listen up!
You could be suffering from something called intermittent claudication, a condition in which your arteries become narrow, usually due to a build-up of plaque. This makes it difficult for blood to flow, especially all the way to your extremities. Typically, initial symptoms are—you guessed it—leg cramps when you exercise, which subside when you’re at rest. Unfortunately, as this condition progresses, so does the pain. Ironically, though, the very thing that causes the cramping can actually help the condition—exercise!
That’s right: when you work out, your muscles become conditioned to use oxygen more efficiently and more effectively. Eventually this will equate to less pain as you train. It’s best to start out walking, gradually increasing the distance. You will improve your overall mobility as well as decrease your discomfort from cramping. Besides exercise, you can also minimize symptoms by adhering to a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and refraining from smoking.
Don’t let leg cramps keep you from staying active. For more tips on treating intermittent claudication, visit Country Foot Care in Mineola, NY: (516) 741-FEET, or Williston Park, NY: (516) 294-8877. Country Foot Care will be happy to help you get back on track. Here’s to a winter with fit and healthy feet and legs!
