A skinny, 22 year-old male visits the local medical clinic complaining of severe cramping in his calves, thighs, buttocks, back, and shoulders, as well as increased fatigue. He tells you that for the last 3 weeks he has been trying very hard to get in shape. He is doing a new, intense weight-training program for at least an hour almost every day, and running on a treadmill for 45 minutes four days per week. Despite his intense workout regimen he seems to be losing, not gaining, muscle mass, prompting him to work out even harder. He says that he is drinking at least a gallon of water a day to stay hydrated, and that he avoids sports drinks because they are “full of chemicals.” He has adopted a “vegan” diet that you learn in his case consists mainly of fruit juices. (He tells you that he doesn’t like soy or tofu.) He also tells you that he skips meals on weight training days to try to reduce body fat.
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Upstream Causes
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Life choices
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Diet
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Cons
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Fruit juices are mostly sugar, not the proper kind needed
Lack of electrolytes, not replacing them when using them leads to an ionic balance on a cellular level, leading to the cause of a majority of his problems
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Background Information
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Physiology
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Muscle Fuel and Needs
Glycogen
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Byproduct of anaerobic respiration (without oxygen) is a buildup of lactic acid, causing tiredness and soreness
Aerobic respiration
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Within two minutes of activity, the body begins to supply working muscles with oxygen
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The slowest of all three systems to work, but lasts the longest, potentially for hours, as long as fuel supply lasts in the body
Creatine phosphate
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Can supply energy for a working muscle at a quick rate, but again only for a short period of time (approx. 15 seconds)
Glucose can come from:
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In extreme cases, a body's proteins
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