Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Having some trouble turning off Netflix and finding the motivation to work out? Well, this should do the trick! New findings of a recent study show that, on top of its benefits for metabolism, mood, and general health, exercise also improves brain function. The Study …
Photo by Luis Quintero on Unsplash Working out is hard work, and not just physically! There are specific nutrients and minerals your body needs in order to power through your workout and recover from it. Here’s what you need to know in order to give …
Written by Luke Kornblatt
Whether you’re a casual jogger or gym addict, it’s always important to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your workouts. The health benefits of a good workout are endless. Not only can it help you physically, helping you to balance your weight and improve energy, but exercise also promotes healthy sleep patterns and a better mood. How can you make sure your body is reaping all of the benefits of an excellent workout? You turn to your diet.
Foods that fuel your exercise performance are very important. It’s about eating the right types of food at the right time throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can help you get off to a good start. According to an article published in the Harvard Health Letter, eating breakfast regularly has been linked to a lower risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Starting your day off with a good meal can also help replenish your blood sugar levels to help power your muscles and brain energy.
The Perfect Combination of Vitamins for Superior Energy and Endurance by Jerry Hickey, Ph. >>
Be sure to stay away from sugar and turn to grains like oatmeal and whole grain cereals that are high in fiber. Some good sources of protein are milk, yogurt, nuts and eggs.
Interested in taking your healthy eating to the next level? One way to really increase your productivity and ensure you’re reaching your maximum potential during workouts is through the use of sport related products.
If you want to both step up your workouts while at the same time increasing your overall health, taking a multivitamin is the perfect solution. Taking a multivitamin is beneficial in upping your performance on and off the field by combining useful supplements including vitamin c, vitamin d, calcium, magnesium, as well as many others. A performance multivitamin is a superior supplement that can benefit any lifestyle, but it is particularly helpful for athletes and for those with an active routine. It helps to provide powerful cell protection, increases stamina and endurance, improves stress resistance, and strengthens the immune system. It also improves the circadian rhythm – the body’s normal adaptation to the 24 hour clock – helping your body adjust to more vigorous exercise and recover more quickly after a workout. A superior performance multivitamin will be non-GMO, made following cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and made with vegetarian capsules that offer efficient absorption and protects the delicate ingredients.†
One ingredient that’s a must for all athletes looking for a boost is creatine. Creatine has been shown to enhance muscle mass, as well as build up strength and give enhanced boosts of energy, which is great if you’re an athlete like a weightlifter or a sprinter. A superior Creatine powder supplement will be non-GMO and made following cGMP standards. In a study published by the Public Library of Science One, researchers from various Canadian research institutions placed thirty-nine older adults, aged 65 to 85, who lived at home on a six-month exercise and supplement regimen. One group was supplemented with 5 grams of Creatine Monohydrate with 2 grams of dextrose along with 6 grams of Conjugated Linoleic Acid and the other group received placebo (dummy pills resembling the supplements) for 24 weeks. All participants performed resistance exercise twice a week for the study period. Functional capacity improved in both groups as measured by the ability to walk, sit, stand, and climb stairs and overall balance. Among those supplemented with Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Creatine Monohydrate, there was a greater gain in muscle endurance and a significant increase in muscle mass with a significant decrease in body fat compared to those on placebo.†
Photo by Form 679333 on Unsplash New research, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, explores the link between two conditions, finding that for many who suffer from depression, exercise is the best treatment that keeps both the mind and the body healthy. What is Depression? Depression …
Photo by Ev on Unsplash Working out is really tough on its own, but if you’re also trying to do it first thing in the morning like before work or class, it could be even more difficult for you. You idolize those people who get …
Beets are a powerful superfood. Its reddish-brown betalains are powerful antioxidants that protect the walls of arteries. Trimethylglycine detoxifies homocysteine; elevated homocysteine is implicated in clogged arteries. The natural nitrates create nitric oxide, responsible for healthy blood flow, heart and circulatory health, and for support during physical activities. Beetroot has become very popular due to its high levels of nitrates that have important implications for managing cardiovascular health.
According to Scientific Director and Pharmacist Jerry Hickey, beets are a source of many heart health constituents. Beetroot helps to support healthy blood pressure and cardiovascular/circulatory health for many reasons – protecting the arteries and healthy blood flow. In a study published earlier this year in the American Physiological Society, researchers found that dietary nitrate (a compound that dilates blood vessels to decrease blood pressure) in beetroot juice reduced over stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system that occurs with heart disease.
Bioavailability is a term that describes the ease with which any nutrient can be absorbed into the body from the food you eat; its active compounds are absorbed through the intestinal tract and made available in the body to be utilized by the cells for energy. In beets in particular, the bioavailability of its nitrates (as seen in numerous reports) are close to 100% absorption following digestion. [1]
According to a report published in the journal Nutrients, beetroot supplementation might serve as a useful strategy to strengthen antioxidant defenses, helping to protect cellular components from oxidative damage.” Oxidative stress is the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants. Free radicals attack cell membranes, destroy enzymes, and disrupt proteins from being made, along with creating waste products.
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to a biological and physical stimuli like trauma or infection. According to the report in Nutrients, betalains and beetroot extracts have emerged as potent anti-inflammatory agents. In a 2014 study published in the journal Mediators Inflammatory, rats were administered a beetroot extract for 28 days. Rats on the extract had lower concentrations of immune cells and reduced signs of oxidative damage, which “are likely to be mediated, at least in part, by the betalains present in beetroot.”
The endothelium, tissue which lines the organs and cavities of the body, plays a critical role in the body’s homeostasis. Beetroot naturally converts nitrite to nitric oxide, which mediates many of the endothelium’s functions. In a 2013 study, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (which measures the degree and severity of cardiovascular disease) fell by 1.6% in the control condition, whereas after beetroot juice, the impairment was only 0.4%, indicating that beetroot mediated protective effects on postprandial endothelial function.[2]
A preliminary study explored the influence of acute beetroot supplementation on age-related cognitive function. In the study, participants older than 67 years and had type-2 diabetes took 250 mL of beetroot juice for 14 days and experienced a significant improvement in simple reaction time compared to a control group.
Based on the available data, this report concludes “the powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vascular-protective effects offered by beetroot and its constituents have been clearly demonstrated in several human and animal studies; hence it’s increasing popularity as a nutritional approach. In human studies to date, beetroot supplementation has been reported to reduce blood pressure, attenuate inflammation, avert oxidative stress, and preserve endothelial function. Furthermore, several studies have now established beetroot supplementation as an effective means of enhancing athletic performance.”[3]
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/#B83-nutrients-07-02801
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/