How Beets Help You Beat Your Competition
Last week I highlighted why beets have a magical effect on blood flow and blood vessel health. While it's nice to know that something I have loved since childhood has such a positive impact on our health, the Naturopathic Doctor in me is asking what the effect is. Beets can help you perform longer, faster, and with more power - they could be the difference between winning and losing.
Beets Improve Endurance
If you compete in endurance events like marathons, or even just spinning classes at your gym, you know the smallest advantages can often lead to big results. If you a have personal best you want to beat, or just simply want to be the best, that's where beets can help; they can take your normal performance and instantly improvement it.
Beets have been shown to decrease the amount of energy you use during endurance exercise [1] by helping your body use oxygen more efficiently [2, 3]. Science backs up this claim: research has shown beets can improve race times [3, 4,] and can help you exercise longer [5]. In fact, one study found that beets helped cyclists shave 12 seconds off their time in a 10 KM trial. That doesn’t sound like much, but just imagine trying to catch a cyclist 12 seconds ahead of you.
So load up on your beets in the days leading up to an event and you’ll see real results.
Beets Enhance Your Strength
But beets won't just add to your endurance. Research shows that beets can make you a rockstar during explosive high intensity interval workouts [6, 7], sprints [8, 9], and weightlifting [10].
A recent study showed that weightlifters who consumed nitrates (found in beets) were at a significant advantage - they were able to do almost 20% more reps to failure. Total weight lifted was also considerably higher than their non-beet-eating competitors.
If your wondering how much you need to eat to get these benefits, watch for my post next week. Next week I'll be covering the best way to eat your beets.
If you have any questions about how to implement some healthy changes to help you reach your full potential, don't hesitate to contact me, book and appointment, or stop by the clinic.
Thanks for reading.
Dr. Oake
I have compiled 5 of my go-to beet recipes to increase the number of nitrates in your life.