With this healthy drink, you'll run that marathon effortlessly
I am by no means the type to reach for a bottle of energy drink or liter coffee before I put on my running shoes. I just take a few sips of water, brush my teeth, put on my running shoes, and I'm good to go. Yet there are also healthy goodies you can try to make your running round almost effortless. To get straight to the point: from now on, you fill your glass with beet juice, the energy bomb that can make you run your kilometers almost effortlessly.
The claim that beet juice enhances your sports performance is not made up. In 2009, research showed that drinking the red juice can improve your sports performance by as much as 15%. The nitrates we absorb from the juice are converted in the mouth into nitrites, which in turn are converted into nitric oxide. This nitric oxide ensures that both blood pressure and oxygen consumption are lowered, thereby extending your endurance. The fact that beet juice has this performance-enhancing effect without effort is remarkable. Your endurance is a relatively fixed and personal factor that normally only improves through regular training.
Various tests have shown that beet juice is especially effective for short-distance runners. The greatest effect of beet juice was observed at distances between 1.5 and 10 kilometers or efforts lasting between 5 and 30 minutes. For longer distances or times, such as marathon runners, the positive effect is not clearly demonstrable. Food2run, the book for the enthusiastic runner, provides the following explanation: long-distance runners exercise for a longer period at a lower intensity, and oxygen uptake does not play a role here. In interval sports or team sports like football, beet juice may have a favorable effect.
When is the best time to down the natural energy drink? Two to three hours before your run, half a liter of beet juice is good for over 400 milligrams of nitrate. Those who feel nauseous at the thought of drinking beet can also opt for an alternative. Green leafy vegetables like spinach and arugula are good nitrate-rich alternatives. Do keep in mind that the raw variant has a significantly higher nutritional value than a cooked portion. Arugula contains about 480 milligrams of nitrate per 100 grams, while spinach has a meager 170 milligrams.
Have a running round planned with your loved one and is your energy hard to find? You know what to do, girlfriend. Just fill your basket with some liters of beet juice, because if it’s up to the Scandinavian woman , this sweet drink keeps you super slim.
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