30 Day Paleo: Day Eighteen – Make Sure You’re Taking Magnesium
Looking to make healthier choices? Perfect! This is Day 18 of 30 of my 30 Day Paleo Plan. For more information on 30 Day Paleo as well as 30 Minute Paleo, check out the get started page. Post each day on your 30 Day Paleo journey to Twitter or Instagram and show me by tagging me with @dranthonygustin — get after it!
Taking magnesium is the last of the three important supplement habits we recommend for the general population. The other two are vitamin D and fish oil. Read up on these for a refresher on why you should be taking them if you aren’t. Magnesium is a critical player in supporting the primary energy system of your body and controls about 300 enzymatic processes of your cells.
57% of people in this country are deficient in magnesium and it is estimated that many more are suboptimal. Remember, the sufficiency bar and optimal levels are two completely different things.
Here is a basic overview of why magnesium is so important:
Your cells use energy for everything you do.
ATP is the currency for that energy system.
ATP is produced by the powerhouse in your cell – mitochondria.
To make more mitochondria or to make your existing mitochondria work better, you need magnesium.
Most people do not have optimal magnesium levels and 57% are clinically deficient.
Take magnesium, at roughly 500mg, at bedtime.
You can obtain magnesium through natural sources of leafy greens and nuts, but for the vast majority of people (especially CrossFitters and athletes), this isn’t going to be enough. Magnesium is relatively cheap and is so important that there is no reason you should NOT be supplementing.
For a more in-depth look at the importance of magnesium, check out our previous article on the subject here and read in detail on why you should be incorporating your magnesium.