Health & Medical sports & Exercise

Muscle Recovery Faster With Antioxidants

Ok, so we all know how amazing antioxidants are right? You see antioxidant supplements and the health benefits advertised all over the place. Fortunately, unlike the majority of "trendy" health products, this one actually has some truth behind it.

Good for you, yes? Absolutely.
Antioxidants are extremely good for you in a number of ways.
They fight against free-radicals, make you feel younger, slow the aging process, prevent heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases. Now that's not all they do, they will also help your body recover faster and more efficiently from that intense workout you just had.

Now why is that a good thing?
Well the faster you recover from your workout, the faster you can get back into the gym, the harder you can workout, and the quicker you will see results and achieve your goals.

So how do they support recovery?
When you exercise, your body produces free-radicals that can start to damage your muscle tissue. Antioxidants help to stop the production of those free-radicals during your workout. Now for this process to be more effective, you should try to get a boost in antioxidants about an hour or so before your workout. This will help reduce any damage done to the muscles from those horrible free-radicals, your muscles will recover much faster, and in turn, you will see better results. That's got to be a good thing.

Now there are no scare tactics at play here. You do not have to rush to the green grocer right this second to grab a bag full of blueberries, because you will not tone up if you do not. Not at all.
What I am saying however, is that it can help.

Muscle Recovery
The majority of us know the effects of over working your muscles. It can be detrimental if you do not give your body enough time to recover. Think of recovery as the growing stage, the muscle fibers repair themselves and grow bigger and stronger. If your goal is muscle growth, then recovery is one of the most important parts, and if you can not stay away from the gym for very long, then any extra help with recovery is vital. Antioxidants can help.

Yes, there are a number of post-workout supplements on the market that help in recovery, some of them are good, many are not. I have always been a strong believer that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is why I like to get some antioxidants into my system about an hour or so before I exercise. Obviously this can be a bit of a hassle if you are an early morning exerciser, and if you are like me and your memory is not the greatest, you can simply forget. But for all those times when you are able to get some additional antioxidants into you pre-workout, you will start to notice the difference in recovery time, and better overall results.

Antioxidants from Whole Foods
Some of the best antioxidants are found in delicious whole foods which can be ideal as a snack before your big workout. The common ones are berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, and cherries. Acai fruit is really good, and also green tea sweetened with a little raw honey, yum! Some of the less well known foods are nuts and seeds, beans, grapes, cinnamon, purple potatoes, and of course dark chocolate and red wine. Although the last example might not be such a great idea before you exercise.
So there are definitely plenty of pre-workout snacks to choose from.

You also get plenty of antioxidants from eating your run of the mill fruits and vegetables, so if your diet is packed full of both, as it should be, then most of your meals will be loaded with antioxidants anyway. Also, most multi-vitamins have a good source of antioxidants in them, so if you take them regularly, again you may already have a higher than average level of antioxidants in the system.
Still, every little bit helps, so planning a quick "antioxidant packed" snack before you exercise will add an extra boost to your workout and your recovery.

While I still prefer eating raw whole foods rather than taking supplements, there are a few good quality supplements around. Unfortunately though, it can sometimes be a case of trial and error. Find one that works for you and stick with it. Even if you are taking an antioxidant supplement once a day, a quick "whole foods" boost before your workout can top it off nicely.

So to conclude our little article on antioxidants and muscle recovery...
-Antioxidants help fight free-radicals during and after exercise, and a little boost before your workout will aid in faster and more efficient muscle recovery
-Continue eating lots of the good stuff (fruits, vegetables, antioxidant rich foods like berries and green teas)
-If you feel that your diet is lacking in the antioxidant department, and you are interested in supplements, find one that works for you and stick with it
-Have an antioxidant rich snack an hour or so before each workout to really boost your recovery

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