Athletes are very active. They exercise a lot in order to maintain a fit and healthy body. ?They require a lot of strength for performing well in the sport that they play.
But, what about their bones?
Having healthy muscles and a healthy heart is important, but what if athletes neglect the health and strength of their bones, and their bones break? Their body is always in activity and hence there is a need to provide the body with sufficient and proper nutrients and micronutrients.
They are constantly exercising or running, so they always demand more from their bodies and hence must compensate with the right nutrients to keep up their performance and recovery. For this, nutrients like calcium, magnesium, vitamins, etc. are very important. This cannot be achieved by diet only. Therefore supplementation is necessary.
Calcium is the most important of all nutrients. It is the main element that forms bones. Bones are the body's structural framework that aids in its movement and thus lets the athletes perform well.
If the bones are not strong enough, athletes cannot do their activities properly.? Most athletes do not meet their need for daily calcium intake.? Inadequate calcium intake leads to a lack of calcium in the body. Lack of calcium in the body can lead to many problems such as osteoporosis, reduction in bone mass and bone density, and hormonal imbalance.
This way bones become weak and it becomes difficult for the athletes to run, swim or play any other sport. Weak bones can cause fractures even due to minor injuries, this will restrict athletes from performing their activities until recovery.
In such cases, recovery also becomes slow and the chances of getting a fracture in the future don't decrease. Hence proper calcium intake is very essential for athletes. Athletes should take proper calcium supplements in order to receive the required calcium intake.Athletes experience stress fractures while training which occur when the stresses placed on the bones are more than they can endure before fully healing. When these stress fractures occur, an athlete must wait for them to heal, which can lead to missing training, practice, and/ or competition for weeks or even months.
Athletes need to increase weight-bearing physical activity to increase bone strength and decrease the risk of stress fractures or decrease the weight-bearing activity to prevent overuse. In both cases, athletes have to consider calcium supplementation to keep their bones healthy and strong to reduce the risk of stress fractures.
Also, calcium prevents muscle cramps and hence further strengthens the bones. This is because calcium has an essential role in muscle contractions. If there is an inadequate amount of calcium, there will be a problem in muscle contraction and hence muscle cramps can occur. If there will be less number of muscle cramps, there will be no hindrance to the athlete's performance.
Calcium is also involved in regulating nerve signaling, which sends signals to contract or relax muscles. This way calcium has a role in body movements, which have to be very instant and sharp for athletes. Also, athletes are more likely to lose calcium and other minerals through perspiration. Since their body is very active, they perspire a lot.
Hence they lose calcium and minerals in larger quantities than non-athletes. So calcium and mineral supplementation is a must for athletes. Along with calcium, other minerals like magnesium and certain vitamins play a role in maintaining bone health.
Magnesium is involved in regulating blood pressure, muscle contractions and relaxations, nerve functions, immunity and cardiac activity, which are very crucial for athletes. Vitamin D is essential in absorbing calcium into the body.
Vitamin C aids in collagen production. Vitamin K aids in binding calcium to the bone matrix. Vitamin B6 helps in preventing bone loss. A combination of all the above-mentioned micronutrients is essential for athletes and can help them boost their performance and stay healthy. FAST&UP offers you an exact combination through its product FORTIFY.