low potass. & excercise

Question
QUESTION: i just had some blood work done and it showed im slightly low in potassium....when i do any kinda excercise on the gazelle or walking vigorously or light curls etc later my muscles twitch so much.....and muscles spasm.....
in the morn i make a smoothie 2ban,oj,strawberries,pineapple juice, hemp milk..cinn and wheat germ....very potassium rich....i drink after any light excercise....and througout the day i eat brn rice beans tomatoes, potatoes ,spinach, drink a bit of smart water just really trying to provide my body with the missing potassium, so why does this still happen........i was just tested and it has only been about a week or so, does it take much more time to bring back that needed /missing potassium.......and i read im suppose to get 3500 daily allowance but how much do i take in a day not to over do it? im 5'1" and 105 lbs...40 yr old female , just turned 40 in march....can you give me some guidelines or help here....im so concerned ...i want to do some minimal excercise...am i doing the right thing here? with the potassium from food idea? alot of supplements have fillers and binders etc unless you have one in mind that will help.......i just get it from food ...i use the odwalla blend smoothies too to add more potassium during the day.....could it also be magnesium?
im a vegan so i use lots of veggies, nut milks etc..and my bad cholesterol is 128 ok but not where i want it so i have to stay clear of alot of shakes.
ps . another thing after excercise of any kinda even light yoga or just stretching , later that nite my ribs feel a bit tight...and chest..im not asthmatic , had lungs checked and heart.....so am i not drinking enough liquids or what?
i know i have alot of questions , dont mean to overwhelm you , id appreciate any info you could give me to help me get back to my old self with excercise.
sincerely, Mel

ANSWER: Mel

from what you explain I would look at your sodium intake, I bet dollars to doughnuts most of your prob is from a lack of sodium so you are leching your other electrolytes. But yes you are doing the right thing to try and get your nutrients from food but you as a vegan MUST!! use supplements as you are ignoring some very crucial food groups that we as humans are built to live on. Namely, meat, eggs, dairy, fish, poultry etc all of which are loaded in nutrients we need. I would get a good multi vitamin and try upping the sodium a good deal which will help keep the muscles hydrated, many of us who are health conscious end up not getting the sodium we need in our diet which then leads to muscle cramp and all the other things you state. We sweat out so much and never replace it.

For more info you should join our free discussion forum, you will get lots of great advice and discussion there www.teamstaley.com start a training log. We can help with training, diet and then give advice on supplementation

Phil
www.staleytraining.com

I also ask you to take a look at my charity strength event with proceeds going to support Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Look at the online raffle make a donation no matter how small they all help the cause and give you a chance of winning some great prizes at the same time
http://www.lift4hope.org



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: are there any brands you would recommend as a daily vitamin for me? one without all the additives,binders,fillers etc. im allergic to those so this makes it very hard finding one and i could use some help there. or even a shake or powder of some sort but has to have low cholesterol cause im working on that.
ill try to up my salt intake....would gatorade be good , i already drink smart water...which would be better?
dont know if your knowledgeable in this area but my metabolic panel showed my BUN (liver) and alt als(kidney) enzymes a bit low....doc says only concerns him if they are high ....but what does this mean my body is doing? do you know how i can level this out.. if you know great , if you dont, can you tell me which expert might be able to explain this to me.?
i wonder if my potassium/or sodium levels have an effect on my other enzymes....?
any thought on this ? thanks Mel

Answer
?? Multi Vit. Look for something in a gel cap as they then dont have a binder, there are even some powders out there. Look at LEF ( Life Extensions Foundation) a bit pricey but great quality.

Gatorade is OK yes and will give you a bit of the electrolytes you need kinda pricey for what you get. Salt your food if you will. Thats the easy way or even drink some salt water or take salt tablets like many runners. Pedialyte is great but also pricey.


I am going to hold off on an answer about BUN and just direct you to google low BUN, its much easier and will save me time ther is plenty of info right at your finger tips about that.

As for the last. Yes of course it does the body is a complex machine and when one thing is out of whack another can adjust and be so as well. Thats why we have to find the root of the problem to things unlike what most western trained doc want to do and that is treat the symptoms, treating symptoms just masks an underlying problem, Get your Electrolytes fixed and see what that does for everything else.


For more info you should join our free discussion forum, you will get lots of great advice and discussion there www.teamstaley.com start a training log. We can help with training, diet and then give advice on supplementation

Phil
www.staleytraining.com

I also ask you to take a look at my charity strength event with proceeds going to support Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Look at the online raffle make a donation no matter how small they all help the cause and give you a chance of winning some great prizes at the same time
http://www.lift4hope.org

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