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Part 2: Preventing Future Cramps
1. Exercise regularly. Routine exercise keeps your muscles in good condition.
Gradually increase your intensity of aerobic exercises to help condition the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your feet and to reduce your experience with cramps. Swimming is a great aerobic exercise to treat problems with foot pain and cramps without bearing weight through the feet and unloading the joints.
Work towards improving your level of fitness. Include stretching and flexibility exercises both before and after you exercise.
If you already exercise regularly, evaluate your workout routines to determine if any existing exercises are contributing to your cramps.
2. Wear shoes that are supportive. Select shoes that fit well all around, have shanks and solid heel counters built in, and provide good support.
A shank is a supportive strip that runs along the bottom of the shoe. It is not visible, so it is difficult to tell if the shoe manufacturer included a shank in the design. If the shoe is flimsy and easy to bend in the middle, then it probably does not have a shank.
The heel counter is also not visible, but the presence of a solid heel counter can be determined by pressing inward on the middle, upper area of the back part of the shoe. If it easily collapses to the inside, then the heel counter is not very strong. The more rigid and supportive the heel counter is, the more difficult it will be to push the upper back part of the shoe toward the inside of the sole.
Many shoe stores have specialists who can evaluate your gait and fit you properly.
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3. Replace shoes with worn soles. Prevent heel pain and plantar fasciitis by discarding shoes with worn soles and heels.
Worn soles and heels contribute to an uneven step with heel counters that have lost some of their support. Discard old shoes and replace them with new ones that have the proper support.
Be aware that wearing high-heeled shoes may be part of the cause of repeated foot and toe cramps.
4. Keep your feet and toes flexible. Routinely performing flexibility exercises can work to prevent foot and toe cramps.
Improve the flexibility and strength in your toes by raising your foot into a stretched position as if you were standing on your tiptoes. Hold for five seconds and repeat ten times. Switch to the other foot.
Try holding onto a wall or other support and raising yourself onto your toes, like a ballet dancer. Hold for five seconds and repeat ten times, then switch to the other foot.
From a seated position, lift your flat foot onto your toes, but this time curl your toes inward. Hold for five seconds, repeat ten times, then switch to the other foot.
Roll a golf ball along the bottom of your foot for two minutes, then switch to the other foot.
Place several marbles, as many as 20, on the floor, then pick them up one by one with your toes and place them into a bowl or other container. Switch feet and repeat the exercise.
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5. Walk barefoot in the sand. While some foot conditions recommend avoiding walking barefoot, foot and toe cramps benefit from the foot conditioning this provides.
Walking barefoot in the sand helps to strengthen your toes along with all the small intrinsic muscles of the foot and ankle, and provides a gentle massage for your feet.
6. Stay hydrated. Dehydration is a common cause of foot and toe cramps.
Drink water before and after you exercise, and throughout the day to be sure you are getting enough fluids.
Try drinking an electrolyte-enhanced sports drink or water; very often, it is an electrolyte imbalance causing cramps.
You may also want to keep a glass of water at your bedside for cramps that may occur during the night.Eat a balanced diet. Nutrition is an important part of giving your body and your muscles what they need to function properly and reduce problems like cramping.
7. Eat a balanced diet. Nutrition is an important part of giving your body and your muscles what they need to function properly and reduce problems like cramping.
Muscles use potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Include foods like bananas, dairy products, fresh vegetables, beans, and nuts.
In this section, I explained how you can prevent cramps in advance when they suddenly appear during training or everyday life.
Artemus Vazhui