Magnesium. Are You As A Dressage Rider Getting Enough?

Most riders I talk to know all about magnesium for their horse and will ensure that their horse is on the best possible magnesium source they can source and will monitor exactly how that magnesium is working for their horses behavior and health. Yet that same rider is putting a blind eye to their own nutrition let alone whether or not they are getting enough magnesium or not!

You see magnesium is used for regulating over 300 enzymes and reactions in our body and unfortunately the magnesium present in our foods today is very different to that of the past. Our soils have changed and so to has the mineral content of our foods. Making magnesium the second most deficient mineral today, with the first being vitamin D. Even in those who live in climates like we have here in sunny New Zealand. We don’t hear to much about it as riders, but we need to and we need to start taking care of our own health as much as we do our horses. So this is why I am so passionate about sharing this information.

To often I see people just reach for supplements and quick fixes. Yes supplements have their place and I am a fan of the right supplements for the right reason. However you can’t just take supplements and expect it to outdo a bad diet or replace the need for real food. Taking supplements should come on top of a real food diet and that diet should be one where variety is prioritized and where we ensure we are getting adequate amounts of foods that our body needs. Given that your body burns through magnesium everyday and the more stressed we are the more we need magnesium, then it makes sense that the majority of us (particularly those out there being busy being busy and stressed in the process) put importance of magnesium rich foods.

 

The Benefits of Magnesium include:

Contraction and Relaxation of Muscles
Production and Transport of Energy
Production of Protein
Healthy Cell Function
Possible Reduction of Inflammation
Improve muscle oxygenation & aerobic performance, helps with performance and recovery.
Helps relieves bloating, insomnia, leg swelling, weight gain, and breast tenderness.
Prevent cardiovascular disease
Prevent aging – We all age however accelerated aging has been noted to be a feature of magnesium deficiency.
Improve Migraine – Those with migraines have lower levels of magnesium compared to those without headaches or migraines.
Asthma
Depression
High Blood Pressure

 

The Effects of Magnesium Deficiency Include:

Insulin Resistance
Fatigue
Apathy
Confusion
Muscle Twitching
Poor Memory
Reduced Ability to Learn
Irritability
Muscle Weakness
Sleepiness
Restlessness
Busy mind

 

Magnesium Rich Foods

With everything I talk about it has to start with real food and making sure your digestive health is great so you can absorb nutrients from those foods. The best form of magnesium you can take is from real foods, particularly dark green leafy vegetables full of chlorophyll and cacao! Yip good quality chocolate that you make yourself! Simple raw cacao has over 300 different compounds and minerals and is really high in magnesium. Once its been processed into cocoa and then into store bought chocolate it looses a lot of those minerals. So your aim is to include more nutrient rich foods such as cacao into your diet to ensure you are getting adequate vitamins and minerals.

Seaweed, nori, kelp, dulse
Magnesium rich foodsOysters
Pumpkin seeds
Cacao
Bone Broth
flaxseed
Fish
Salmon
Brazilnuts
Buckwheat
Millet
Almonds
Cashew nuts
Bananas
Leeks
Kale
Himalayin Rock Salt
Greens – Spirulina, wheatgrass, chlorella

 

Then in a future post I will go over what sort of magnesium sources are good to help replenish and restore the body. In the mean time though, take a look at your diet and ensure you are getting adequate amounts of magnesium rich foods each and everyday.

Inside the online gym I go into detail on other vitamins and minerals, plus the types of supplements I use and what other factors can affect your magnesium levels. I go into detail as to how you will know if you should start taking a magnesium supplement and where to get them from if you do.

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