Unleash Your Inner Athlete: How Beets Power Workouts
For athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike, achieving peak performance is an ever moving target. We meticulously craft training regimens, purchase the latest supplements spending more money than we anticipated to push our limits. What if I told you I have a secret that is cheap and yet eplosively powerful. That secret lays below ground, an earthy vegetable often relegated to salads and the red color in snacks. Enter the beet, a vibrant root which will elevate your exercise performance.
Nitric Oxide: The Beetroot Booster Rocket
Beets boast a wealth of dietary nitrates, readily converted by your body into nitric oxide (NO). This molecule acts like a performance-enhancing agent, dilating blood vessels, improving blood flow, and delivering oxygen more efficiently to your muscles. The result? Greater stamina, reduced fatigue, and the potential for significantly improved exercise performance.
Research on the Run:
Scientific studies paint a compelling picture of beetroot's impact on athletic prowess. A 2017 review published in Nitric Oxide analyzed 12 studies and found that beetroot juice supplementation significantly enhanced exercise performance in activities like cycling, running, and rowing (Bailey et al., 2017).
Another 2011 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise investigated the effects of beetroot juice on high-intensity exercise. Participants who consumed the ruby elixir experienced reduced oxygen consumption and improved exercise efficiency, allowing them to push harder for longer (Larsen et al., 2011).
Beyond the Juice:
While beetroot juice offers a concentrated nitrate punch, don't underestimate the whole root! A 2015 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition compared the effects of beetroot juice, whole beetroot capsules, and a placebo on cycling performance. Interestingly, both the juice and capsules significantly improved time to exhaustion, highlighting the benefits of incorporating whole beets into your dietary arsenal (Clifford et al., 2015).
Beet Your Personal Best:
While research is promising, individual results may vary. Factors like your fitness level, training regimen, and overall diet can influence the impact of beets. However, incorporating this versatile root into your pre-workout routine or recovery meals holds significant potential to boost your performance and help you shatter your fitness goals.
Ready to Unleash Your Inner Beetroot Power?
Experiment with incorporating beets into your diet in diverse ways. Roast them for a sweet and caramelized flavor, add them raw to salads for a crunchy texture, or blend them into smoothies for a vibrant and nutritious pre-workout drink. Remember, consistency is key - aim to make beets a regular fixture in your diet for optimal results.
Keep Reading for Cooking Instructions!
References:
Bailey, S. J., Fulford, J., Vanhatalo, A., & Winyard, P. G. (2017). Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances human exercise performance. Nitric Oxide, 65, 102-115. doi.org/10.1016/j.niox.2016.12.002
Clifford, T., Stevenson, E. J., Gosker, H. R., Consuegra, S., Burton, J. P., & Jones, A. M. (2015). The influence of beetroot supplementation on cycling time trial performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1), 11. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0073-y
Larsen, T. M., Weitzberg, E., Lundberg, J. O., & Vindham, M. B. (2011). Effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on reducing the oxygen cost of heavy exercise in humans. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(11), 2009-2014. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821c4f2c
