There has been plenty of publicity about the benefits of Beetroot  juice and its effects on lowering blood pressure but are you aware of the benefits it has for sports men and women.

Beetroot is high in dietary nitrate which is then converted by enzymes in Saliva into Nitric Oxide which has been discovered, by researchers at the University of Exeter, that Beetroot enables people to exercise for up to 16% longer.

So what are the benefits of increasing your Nitric Oxide levels?

Studies by the University of Exeter have shown that Nitric Oxide improves stamina and increases the body’s ability to use oxygen more efficiently.  

For the study, nine club-level competitive male cyclists were asked to compete in time trials over 4km (2.5 mile) and 16.1km (10 mile). All the riders were asked to do each time trial twice. Each time they were asked to drink half a litre of Beetroot juice beforehand. On one occasion they had normal Beetroot juice, on the other occasion (unbeknown to the cyclists) the Beetroot juice had the nitrate removed.

The researchers monitored athletes' VO2 levels (showing the amount of oxygen consumed) during exercise to ensure that the cyclists worked at maximum effort on each occasion. 

Results showed that when the cyclists drank ordinary Beetroot juice they had a higher power output (measured in watts) for the same level of effort which suggests that their muscles and cardio-vascular system were being more efficient.  On average, riders were 11 seconds (2.8%) quicker over the 4km distance and 45 seconds (2.7%) faster over the 16.1km distance. 

Interesting!

A new study in the U.S has seen 180 men and women receive the new treatment. The study showed a pain levels were reduced by more than a third. The therapy which is known as Perisosteal involves direct electrical stimulation of the periosteum.
The way it’s thought to work is the stimulation interferes with the pain signals. The treatment consists of four fine needles are placed in the periosteum for one minute.
This is great news for suffers, it’s thought that this treatment will be available in the next few years. Until then the best aid to painful joints is glucosamine and glucosamine gel.

The latest super fruit is small yet super strength. The aronia berry was found by the Fuji Women’s University. The fruit has high antioxidant properties, making it an effective natural treatment for stomach problem even including ulcers.

Preliminary research at Maryland University has shown a possible defence against colon cancer. The Aronia berry is also known as the ‘chokeberry’ and contains high levels of anthocyanins, which reduces the development of blood clots in return reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Sometimes after you’ve been training water is the last thing you want. Dr David Katz a director of the Prevention Research Centre at Yale Uninversity suggests that water doesn’t directly help with weight loss and it doesn’t contribute either. Having a cup of coffee after your workout either cardio or weight training will boost your metabolism further, make sure the coffee is sugar free!

People think that cutting down on food or even cutting out a complete meal is the solution to losing weight. This is far from the truth balancing your food intake throughout the day is best solution. Eating little and often helps control hunger so you don’t have the urge to binge.

The best solution is to break your three meals into six smaller meals and spread them throughout the day this will leave you feeling satisfied, alternatively you can use a slimming aid such as the pink patch.

In an ideal situation meals should become smaller through the day. The biggest being breakfast and the smallest being evening meal.

Each day for the next five days we’ll bring you simple slimming tips to help with your weight loss goal.