Is mineral depletion affecting your hockey performance? The answer is most likely yes!
Minerals are vital for your muscles to work efficiently. Hockey is a moderate to vigorous sport involving aerobic exertion for most of the game if you give your all. As such this requires the body to make numerous changes and/or adaptations in its normal physiological functioning of the body. This will result in macro and trace minerals being lost in sweat. If these minerals are not replenished on a regular basis long term performance and health issues may occur. The truth of this is that we hear of super athletes that appear to be in excellent health keeling over from a heart attack at 40 or coming down with some horrible disease.
Mineral deficiency may well be the answer to the ever present question, “Why?”
The most commonly known minerals needed by hockey players are the macro-minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and manganese.
These minerals are vital to performance and long term optimal health. It is hoped that the following information will equip serious hockey players with vital knowledge that will lead them to ensuring that attention is given to replenishing lost minerals as a result of training and playing hockey especially when we see the amount of hockey some players engage in for many years of their life.
CALCIUM is the most abundant mineral in the human body which is responsible for normal heart rhythm, healthy nerve transmission, and strong muscle contractions.
During exercise, calcium dependent enzymes produce energy from fatty and amino acid conversion. Fatty acids are such an important fuel during endurance exercise because they provide up to 65% of your energy needs when exercise goes beyond two hours in length.
Having adequate calcium available to efficiently convert them into energy is crucial. When calcium runs low, the body extracts it from the bones, but this process can’t keep up with your exercise depletion rate.
Calcium deficiency during endurance events may produce high blood pressure, muscle cramps, and weakness.
MAGNESIUM should accompany calcium and due to the fact that magnesium deficiency is prevalent should be taken 4:1 in favour of magnesium.
Many enzymatic reactions necessary for fuel conversion to muscular energy occur in the presence of adequate magnesium. Magnesium deficiency contributes to muscle cramps, tremors, sleep disturbances, and in some cases, convulsive disorders.
POTASSIUM is the positively charged ion within all muscle cells. It is necessary for maintaining the optimal concentration and balance of sodium. Symptoms of potassium deficiency are nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, cramping, and rapid heart rate.
Up to 200 mg are lost in sweat alone (not counting internal muscle and cell use). Potassium and sodium should be replaced at the same time because taking just potassium the optimal sodium balance is altered.
SODIUM is the chief positively charged ion outside the cell. During exercise a minimum of three hours is necessary to deplete this mineral. Symptoms of sodium deficiency are abnormal heartbeat, muscle twitching, and hypoventilation.
MANGANESE is necessary in trace amounts for optimal muscle cell enzyme reactions for conversion of fatty acids and protein into energy. Although manganese is not technically an electrolyte, its importance cannot be overstated.
Research also shows that manganese deficiency plays a key role in blood sugar fluctuation, free radical build-up from intense exercise, and nerve function disorders.
The trace minerals lost through exercise are as important as the macro-minerals. Strenuous exercise can change levels of trace minerals in your body, in particular, zinc, copper, chromium and iron. You lose these minerals through urine on a daily basis and when working out the loss of these minerals is increased exponentially.
Zinc, copper, and Chromium are directly involved in maintaining and regulating many physiological processes, especially those involved in normal carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism and the ultimate formation of usable energy.
ZINC is required for a number of reactions involving cell growth and tissue repair. It helps to keep your immune system healthy for wound healing and fertility. Loading up on carbs while limiting protein and fat causes deficient levels of zinc in up to 90 percent of athletes.
This can zap your energy and endurance. After a hard workout session, you may see much higher proportions of zinc lost through sweat from the body than other minerals, necessitating the need for replacement.
COPPER is involved in iron metabolism and formation of red blood cells and collagen. Low levels can lead to anaemia, loss of bone density and changes in nerve function.
CHROMIUM is vital for protein synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism and helps to boost insulin sensitivity and regulate glucose levels. Chromium is directly involved in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.
The body’s chromium content may be reduced by infection, acute exercise,pregnancy and lactation, and stressful states (such as physical trauma). Increased chromium losses and can lead to deficiency.
IRON helps red blood cells carry oxygen to muscles. An hour of working out depletes up to 5.7 percent of your level of this mineral. Losing too much of your stores can result in iron-deficiency anaemia, which causes fatigue and zaps your endurance during lengthy sessions.
The bottom line? Listen to your body and do your homework! It is a well-known fact that today’s food supply lacks nutrients which makes it necessary to supplement our diet, especially for athletes. So what can you do about this?
- Eating a wide range of fruit and vegetables according to dietary guidelines should be the first measure to replenish lost minerals through performance and training
- If 1. Above is not achieved a mineral supplementation may be suggested. It is not performance enhancing in itself but more a necessity to replace lost minerals due to performance and training which if not done will performance and health detrimental
Source: various
