Ch ch ch Chia? Endurance and Chia?
Yum… chia is yummy. No, you do not have to smear Chia on your head and water yourself every day to get the benefits of Chia. Chia seeds are one of the most powerful nutritional superfoods in the world.
Chia has been used by the Indians in the southwest and Mexico as a staple food. It is known as the running food, as it is known to be a high-energy, endurance food. It was believed that ancient Aztec warriors subsisted on Chia seeds during their conquests.
The southwestern Indians would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a full day run. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade their wares would only bring the Chia seeds for their nourishment.
Chia is a super-hydrater and helps with electrolyte balance. The soluble fiber also know as hydrophilic colloids, massively retains water which keeps you hydrated and helps maintain electrolyte balance.
If you mix a spoonful of Chia in a glass of water and leave it for approximately 30 minutes or so, the seeds and water will become an almost solid gelatin. This gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber in the Chia. Researches have found that this same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when food containing these gummy fibers, known as mucilages, are eaten. When the gel is ingested, carbohydrates conversion into sugar slows. Chia seeds provide long lasting energy that brings with it stamina and endurance and at the same time gives you a quick boost of energy.
Chia seed is also known to stabilize blood sugar, improve mental focus, provide protein and essential fatty acids, build lean muscle mass, and many other effects on a persons overall health. Endurance athletes can benefit from adding this little seed to your diet. There are many good Internet sources for the seed and some really good deals if you look around. You may want to add this to your list of endurance supplements along with EpoBoost, an all natural endurance supplement.
You can sprinkle ground or whole chia seeds on cereal, yogurt, or salads; eat a handful of whole seeds as a snack; or grind them up and mix with flour when making muffins or other baked goods. We like to take a two cup container add water , 1/3 chia seeds and stir and in 15 minutes you have chia gel. We just consume a 3 tablespoons a 2-3 times a day. Some people like to add it to juice.
Let us know how you are using Chia and what results you are having?
Endurance Running, Swimming, Cycling – Ice Baths BRRRRR…
If you bike, run, or swim at high intensity for any period of time you may have experienced sore muscles and discomfort. Many endurance athletes are spending 15 minutes or so in an ice bath to ease the pain after a long run.
Ice baths or cold water immersion therapy constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. This means that not only do you suppress inflammation but you also get rid of of the broken down tissues from the body. So ice baths reduce inflammation of tissues and joints, relieves soreness, and speeds recovery.
Ice baths require more than just 1 tray of ice. Get about 30 lbs of ice and add to water and climb in brrr, soak for 15 minutes and yes, your teeth will be chattering. Stay no longer than 15 minutes or you may cause tissue damage. Some people suggest getting into the tube in cool water and add the ice to create less of a cold shock to the body.
Another option might be to hop into a cold lake (if you are lucky to have one nearby) and stand in cold water for 15 minutes. Wrap up and drink a warm beverage while sitting in the tub. Have fun and feel great the next day!
WHY SHOULD I DRINK BCAAs?
BCAAs were recently shown to reduce muscle damage during cycling, as reported in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (December, 2007). Dr. Greer and his team of researchers examined the effect of a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) drink on markers of muscle damage after endurance exercise. A BCAA drink was compared with an equal calorie carbohydrate drink and a flavored water placebo.
The group found all measured markers of fatigue were reduced in the BCAA-supplemented group. So if you want to ride your best, it seems including BCAAs in your hydration formula could help.
The Study
Nine untrained men performed three 90 minute cycling trials. The men were blinded to drink selection during each trial. Cyclists received a carbohydrate drink on the first trial; a BCAA drink on the second trial; and flavored water on the third trial. Bouts were separated by eight weeks with no training in-between, to omit training effects from trial to trial.
During each trial the subjects ingested 200 calories of their drink before exercise and at 60 minutes of the 90-minute cycling trial. Subjects were assessed before and immediately after, as well as 4, 24 and 48 hours post-exercise.
The data showed significantly reduced markers of muscle damage in the BCAA trial, with the carbohydrate trial showing reduced markers when compared with the flavored water. Measurements included blood markers of fatigue, leg-flexion tests, and ratings of perceived exertion.
The Bottom Line
Proteins are made up of amino acids. BCAAs are a sub-group of these amino acids which have been found to be particularly useful for athletic performance. Although this study indicates that BCAAs are superior to carbohydrate formulas for reducing markers of muscular fatigue, this does not mean you should replace your carbohydrate drink during your ride.
Reduced muscle damage has the advantage of speeding recovery and reducing muscle soreness, but not addressing your glycogen stores while training could have a negative impact on performance. Combine both for greater muscle recovery while maintaining energy stores.
What to do
If you’re training regularly it would be wise to invest in a carbohydrate-BCAA combo drink such as EnduraFuel by BRL, available online at www.EnduraFuel.com. EnduraFuel contains a full 6 grams of BCAAs per serving; more than any other product available on the market.
Does Quercetin Improve Performance in Endurance Athletes?
Everyone was excited with the initial studies done on Quercetin and endurance athletes looked for promising results to improve their athletic performance. However, studies in humans have been disappointing.
Quercetin is a phytochemical that is part of the coloring found in the skins of apples and red onions. It has been isolated and is sold as a dietary supplement. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Research shows that quercetin may help to prevent cancer, especially prostate cancer.
Early studies in mice demonstrated evidence of being a potent performance enhance in mice. In the study two groups of mice were given either quercetin or placebo and did pre and post testing on a wheel treadmill. The mice that received Quercetin were able to run 37% longer that their counterparts who received the placebo.
Several studies in humans both athletes and non-athletes were done with Quercetin and have not produced the same results. F.R.S. financed a small study which demonstrated that the highly trained human athletes improved their performance on Quercetin. The subjects were then given placebo and they also had signifcant improvement in their performance. A second study was done using 12 untrained men and gave them quercetin and did find improvement after 1 week.
However 3 additional studies have had disappointing results. Runners in the Western States Endurance Run, a 100 mile were given quercetin and saw no difference. A similar study done by the same researchers found no difference in cyclists.
The most recent study was done by Coca Cola, which was testing a new drink with Quercetin. “There were simply no differences” between the quercetin and the placebo group, says Kirk J. Cureton, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Georgia and lead author of the study. It just does not improve endurance.
Go all out!
When you see that you are not going to win the race, what do you do? Do you just shut down, and quit, or do you still go all out at your fastest, just to see what you can do?
If you have been training, and doing everything that you are supposed to be doing, then you will use this opportunity as a training session as well. You should give it all you’ve got, make that person ahead of you really work to win this race! Don’t just give it over. At the end of this race, the winner is going to know that he, or she, is really going to have to step up their game if they think they are going to win another race against you.
They will know that you have been doing something different, especially if you’ve been getting in all of the nutritional supplements that an elite athlete in training requires. You may even find that the winner comes over to find out what you’ve been doing to step up your game.
If you haven’t been getting your supplements, isn’t it about time to start pushing your game a little harder?
How many people does it take?
Have you ever wondered how many people are behind that star athlete you watch every weekend? Even though it looks like the athletes are superhuman, and were just born this great ability, they have trained for years and years to get to this point, and you can bet that they didn’t do it alone.
They probably started out with the support of their parents, maybe they were really great on the middle school or high school team. That is where the coach stepped in, and starts to teach them how to use their natural talents. They will also most likely have a trainer that will help them focus on their body strenths and weeknesses. Of course, last but not least, they will have a nutritionist that helps them get the right amount of nutrients to help feed their muscles and make them develop into the superhuman body you see today.
If you are trying to make yourself into a better athlete, know that you are going to need a support team. You may not need as many people on your team as the professional athlete, but you will need all the help you can get. Remember, without the proper nutrition and guidance, you could actually end up hurting yourself, instead of pushing yourself to greatness.
The “Boost” in EPO-Boost
The other day I was asked by a curious consumer what exactly the “EPO” in EPO-Boost stood for. The answer is Erythropoietin, a peptide hormone that is produced naturally by the kidney, heads straight for the bone marrow, and increases the production of red blood cells (which is what bone marrow does for a living) and in turn carries oxygen to the body’s muscles.
That’s a good thing, especially for athletes. When performing athletically, and you feel that insane, horrifying burn in your thighs or arms, this is the muscle screaming for oxygen and relief. Since we all know that relief is essentially slowing down (totally not acceptable), the oxygen is what you need.
This is where a product like EPO-Boost comes in! Taking the correct amount of EPO-Boost, which is non-addictive, your personal EPO levels will rise significantly, as in 90%, and increase your VO2max.
What is VO2max you ask? Beginning athletes and veterans alike have most likely heard the term, but have no clue what this refers to. Well let me clue you in, just in case. VO2max is the highest capability of your body to transport and use oxygen during exercise. Literally, V stands for “volume per time”, O2 stands for oxygen, and max means maximum.
Now one thing that skeptics need to know is that EPO-Boost is 100% legal. This is not a synthetic or actual hormone (which were banned in the 1990’s by the World Anti-Doping Agency), but many familiar and/or all-natural substances that just let your body do what it does best… only a little better. The endurance, strength, speed, and all-around performance increase are completely guaranteed.
There’s nothing better than a guarantee, since that simply means you have nothing to lose, but a world of power to gain.
Simple Tips to Build Endurance
There are many people desperate to build up their endurance. Those people who decide to go for a run and just can’t make it up the hill. Those people who take more breaks than they think they need. Whatever the case, here are a few tips to help your body in building that much needed push:
1. First of all, it’s important to develop a healthy diet. It’s not what everyone wants to here, especially in a world of fast food on every corner, but a necessary evil. Consuming a healthy diet does not mean not eating. It does not mean cutting out an entire food group (breads for example). And it certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the food you eat! When your doctor tells you that you need a “balanced diet”, that’s exactly what it means. Eat a balance of the right kinds of food, in smaller portions, and often. Combined with a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated, this will keep your energy and metabolism up, building endurance and a healthier lifestyle in general.
2. Secondly, exercise more often, but not as hard as you would expect. Try a new workout everyday, a new location such as arms one day, abs the next, and so on, having a day off at least once a week. This keeps your body guessing instead of becoming accustomed to the workout. You may not think that this helps endurance, but imagine being a cyclist. Hopefully, cycling isn’t your only method of exercising. Working other parts of your body will build assist in the overall process.
3. Finally, take it a step at a time! When they say “building” endurance, that means stacking one brick on the next, not just planting the whole building in place. Set a goal for yourself, a little (little is not a lot) more than the day before and your stamina will increase every time your goal is reached! If you add a safe, healthy supplement to this process and you will see results that you never thought possible. A two mile run will turn into a ten mile run in what seems like no time.
Take these tips to heart.
They may seem too simple to be true, but competitive athletes can often lose focus on these easy steps and end up having to go back to basics in the end anyway. You can move yourself forward, if you don’t over-extend and trust your instincts.
Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.
Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!
Endurance is Essential in Competitive Sports
Endurance is essential.
Period.
Not only in the lives of athletes, but in us all. Whether you are a busy single parents or the president of a corporation, endurance is essential.
Endurance is defined as, “the power to withstand hardship or stress”. Wouldn’t you say this is necessary in all of us?
In the specific case of athletes, endurance is imperative in competition. Your heart may pounding, your feet killing you, your lungs screaming out for relief- but you must withstand. There’s nothing worse than that look of triumph that a competitor gives you when you have lost to his endurance. Some athletes take supplements (hopefully, the legal and safe type) and some choose to be 100% natural. Both are something that you can be proud of: either the ability to do it on your own, or the intelligence to know when you need help. There’s nothing wrong with either.
Take a moment to assess your own physical needs, and mental ones for that matter, and don’t be afraid to look out there for the spiritual and bodily assistance that you may need. That’s what we’re here for; that’s what our product and our expertise are here for. Now is the time to change your life and look at that uphill battle as the one that you can and will win.
Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.
Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!
Olympic Swimmers Take Dietary Supplements for EPO-like Benefits
American Swimmers Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres admitted that they were taking a nutrition program to the benefits of some banned drugs to help them stay among the world’s elite swimmers, local reports said on Tuesday. Under the program, swimmers are requested to take small amounts of the controversial but legal creatine and about 25 daily supplements of multivitamins, minerals, amino acids and supplemental proteins, the Washington Post reported.
“The program, which costs more than 500 dollars a month, will produce the benefits of some banned drugs such as human growth hormone and erythropoietin (EPO) without breaking any rules or jeopardizing the athletes’ health,” the Washington Post quoted Glen Luepnitz, a Texas-based nutritionist and Immunologist, as saying.
“We know there are all sorts of performance-enhancing drugs being utilized nationally and internationally,” Luepnitz said. “I’m trying to look for an edge … We can get their own body to provide the same type of response in a very controlled manner.”
Torres’ and Thompson’s separate disclosures came in response to questions regarding their training methods and may have been intended to disassociate themselves from suspicions of banned drug use.
Torres, 33, recently set an American record in the 50-meter freestyle despite coming out of retirement just last year after seven years away from the sport. Thompson, 27, has long been considered one of the top Americans in the freestyle and butterfly, with the most Olympic gold medals of five but all from the relays events.
However, neither swimmer was ready to identify their specific supplement routine, citing a desire to protect their “trade secrets at a highly competitive time of year.”
Both Torres and Thompson train under U.S. Olympic women’s team coach Richard Quick, who said that he not only supports Luepnitz’s program, but also is using it for his Stanford swimmers.
Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.
Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!
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