To live well and cope with everyday challenges, you need a holistic approach that combines a balanced diet with regular exercises to keep your health in top shape. This is because your food choices are not only important for a balanced diet, but also crucial for enhancing your workout performance.
Diet experts say you can never go wrong with including fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. But, did you know that even in this hallowed list of superfoods, beetroot, commonly known as beets, shines the brightest when it comes to improving your exercise performance?
Understanding beetroots: With their rich, earthy hues, beetroots are more than just a colourful addition to your plate. This root vegetable offers a unique blend of health benefits and is packed with essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. From salads to smoothies, juices and more, beetroot conveniently blends with several foods.
According to a study in PubMed, beetroot juice could help enhance athletes' cardiorespiratory endurance by improving efficiency, thus boosting performance across different distances. This supplementation could lead to increased time before exhaustion at lower exercise intensities and potential improvements in cardiorespiratory performance at higher intensities.
Here are 5 ways beets contribute to better workouts:
Better endurance: Beetroots are a natural source of nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide, which helps relax blood vessels and improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to working muscles. This can lead to enhanced endurance during workouts.
Delays fatigue: The nitric oxide generated from beet consumption improves the efficiency of oxygen utilisation in the body. This means your muscles can extract more oxygen during exercise, delaying fatigue and supporting prolonged exertion.
Improves stamina: Studies suggest that beets may reduce the oxygen cost of exercise, meaning your body becomes more efficient in utilising available oxygen. This can result in improved stamina and endurance during both aerobic and anaerobic activities.
Enhances performance: The nitrates in beets add to muscle power and strength. This can be especially beneficial for activities requiring explosive movements, contributing to better overall workout performance. In a study with trained cyclists, it was discovered that drinking beetroot juice can enhance performance by 0.8 percent during a 50-mile test. Furthermore, these enhancements were associated with a decrease in the time required to cover the specified distance.
Faster recovery: Beets possess anti-inflammatory properties that potentially aid in faster recovery post-exercise. This can reduce muscle soreness and contribute to a quicker turnaround time between workouts.
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