I stopped my medication for hypertension a few months ago. I did this slowly, weaning off and was monitored closely. Never felt better. Was holding my blood pressure steadily at 120/65. Last week, my bp became elevated. Peaks of 170/105. Steady at 145/88. Not good. This is the second week and I am seriously considering going back on medication. After much soul searching, I thought through all the changes I've made in my lifestyle these past 2 weeks. I've been riding more, 3x a week now, I suddenly gained 5 pounds out of no where, been drinking a new brand of coffee etc etc. I think I've identified the culprit. 3 weeks ago, while buying my usual recovery drink, I picked up a bottle of creatine supplement at the store. It worked well, seemed to provide myself more energy and strength. I drink some before every ride, and since I've been riding more, I have been getting a regular dose. Running a search on it and hypertension, it seems to be a known hypertension trigger. I'm not sure yet and the sucky part is that it takes 21 days to flush this stuff out of myself. Just sharing this info to fellow hypertensives. BCOT. I know, it was stupid of me to pick up a supplement without doing more research before I started taking it. http://www.livestrong.com/article/468682-can-i-take-creatine-with-high-blood-pressure/ http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/creatine/safety/hrb-20059125
if you are not doing huge miles, a recovery drink is not needed. I went from sugary drinks to water, guess what your body gets used to it. 1 hour water only, 2-3 maybe some apple juice mixed in. More than that food is needed. So for longer rides is maybe half apple juice half water along with a snack (not that i have done anything long recently....). Once back if you eat and drink you should be fine - though i have found that calcium is really important especially those who get cramps, its used up in muscle contractions. Basically what I am saying is give your body a chance and it will figure things out as long as you get enough good calories (before and after)
I'm not a big believer in powdered supplements, drinks, etc. The closer I stick to natural foods the better my body seems to do. Seems like a lot of money for unnatural products that are likely to have unintended consequences.
Hypertension is directly related to an imbalance is Na+ transport and water balance in your body. Taking creatine normally causes your body to absorb more water weight and it messes with Na+ transport to your muscles. The best lifestyle change for hypertension would be to safely lose some weight and following a controlled diet along with exercise. Try to stay away from vasodilators and vasoconstrictors when searching for supplements. If you ride long rides or multiple times a week drinking only water isn't enough. I usually refer to the Merck manual for anything medical related. http:// http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/cardiovascular_disorders/hypertension/overview_of_hypertension.html
Have to agree with this. Unless your workouts are very long/hard, no supplements are needed, provided that your diet is balanced. If you ride for fitness and recreation, you are fine with water on rides under 2 hours. Depending on your metabolism, you may need some gels, bars, etc. On longer rides, or if it very hot a good electrolyte drink will help. If you try to lose weight, be aware how many calories you consume vs. calories burned on the ride. I know it sounds obvious, but some people go for a 1 hour ride at a moderate pace and eat a power bar, along with some gatorade and they end up eating more calories that they are burning. I guess if you are training/racing hard, supplements such as recovery drinks, etc. can help , but for most recreational riders they won't make much of a difference
Drinking a recovery drink has been great for me. I usually will crash and lay around for the rest of the day as soon as I get home from a ride, and also eat a whole lot. The recovery drink will keep my energy level up to spend the day actively with the family. Surprisingly, I have lost weight with it, as I don't get as hungry after a ride. I used to drink water with additives when I ride to avoid cramps. But since I stopped my medications, cramping has not become a problem, and I've been able to drop that. The creatine was an impulse buy and I'm regretting it. I went thru the while shebang. I got itching and burning sensations on my skin, the hypertension and still suffering through headaches. Sucks.
Creatine and aerobic activity don't mix. It use for muscle building and will dehydrate you much faster than normal.
I would be careful- stick with your doctor's advice. Only you know your body more then anyone. Know your Limits, Good Luck Good Info on your Links tho- However, Good basic fundamental's that of proper Diet has been Key for me in many ways, when it comes to MTBx... = )
Everyone has there own opinion, some things work for others, that might not work for you. Diet was mentioned, we are what we eat! Creatine can give endurance and builds muscle, so protein builds muscle for the legs, sound lodical to me, long rides can burn muscle if you don't feed muscle with protein. If creatine dehydrates faster, than drink more water, we all should be hydrated anyway even before a ride starts. Only my opinion.
Gatorade has a lot of sugar in it. Whether you use their bottled drinks or powder, I suggest adding extra water to it, to delute it down and so hopefully you won't take as much sugar as you would otherwise. After a good ride, I'd suggest drinking a Protein shake. Same as many people do when they finish their workouts at a gym. Drinking the Protein drink can help your muscles rebuild and recover. Whey Protein powder is available from many brands and in many flavors. (I buy the inexpensive Whey Protein at WalMart: Body Fortress) Sure I could pay alot more for the more heavily advertised powders, but I'm not convinced that they are significantly better... Just my opinion ....
I use two recovery drinks, depending on what's available. Online, this is a good brand http://mikesmixrecoverydrink.com If I'm in a rush and need to buy local, I try and find http://www.gnc.com/Optimum-Nutrition-2-1-1-Recovery-Colossal-Chocolate/product.jsp?productId=3006506
My opinion is backed up based on observations from my time as an Athletic Trainer and seeing the effects it has had on people doing more aerobic activities, not to mention is widely believed to play a role in the death of not one , not two but three NCAA wrestlers in about a months time. I know a lot of athletic trainers and team doctors started to limit if. It eliminate the use of it during the pre-season/season when much more conditioning is done. But if you doubt me go ahead and try it and hopefully you don't end up like others.
Years ago a friend, who I was faster than, started to smoke me. I asked what was up and he said it was creatine (this was during Mark McGwire's run) . Luckily it upset my stomach so I can't tell you if it works or not. Back when i was young and fast I ate a ton of cliff bars, gu, and kept double concentrated gatorade in my bike bottle. Once i got old and slow I had to stop eating as much and left the gatorade at home because i was gaining too much weight, oh to be 44 years old again.
From my informal observation and anecdotal evidence, when creatine first became the next big supplement to be on quite a few weightlifters I knew tried it for extended periods. They did bulk up a little more but as soon as they stopped the supplement they all seemed to drop the mass they gained. As with most supplements it probably isn't needed and when there are positive and negative aspects that get touted by different groups I usually err on the side of safety.
Okay...so first, creatine will cause you to hold more fluids, which by itself can (usually will) raise blood pressure. Does creatine work for endurance? Studies say no. Does creatine increase anaerobic ability (weight lifting)? Studies indicate yes. Second, I am a firm believer that most/all "supplements" are utter nonsense. The ones that aren't are: steroids, hgh, omega-3 fatty acids (specifically dha and epa), vitamin K2 in the form of menaquinone-7, and as mentioned, creatine for weight lifters. I also somewhat believe that taking large doses of L-Arginine with L-Citriline will stimulate the endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator. Some come with a price (steroids, hgh and maybe creatine). I presently think that everything else is nothing but marketing nonsense and snake oil. Third, very often hypertension can be controlled with diet, exercise and particularly weight loss. Fourth, Magnesium CAN play a roll in hypertension. It's kind of a natural calcium channel blocker. However, as I understand it, this only applies if someone is deficient in magnesium. Most people aren't. Finally, people who snore heavily often have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). For reasons still not exactly understood, untreated OSA is a known risk factor for hypertension. edit- also there is some evidence that LIMITED alcohol intake, especially red wine, is endothelian cell beneficial and perhaps a vasodilator.
As of this morning, I am headache free Took bp readings, and I'm within acceptable ranges. Not my normal just yet, but I'll take 125/74 any day
I found that 100% natural fruit juice (orange, grape, etc.) diluted with cold water and some ice works better for me than the man-made stuff (Gatorade, Powerade). It's cheaper and more environmentally friendly (less packaging, etc.). When I feel like I need some protein, I drink non-fat milk or chocolate nonfat milk. Mixing in some salted nuts helps too, but I'm fortunate to never cramp for some reason; I'm just lucky. I don't think the powdered mixes for recovery drinks are completely understood. The concentration of substances in those is, by definition, unnatural and therefore, in my opinion, unecessary.