Striving4Zen

Looking for a way to increase your stamina that doesn't involve carbo loading?

Beet juice could be the answer.

In a very small UK study, drinking beet juice daily was found to improve endurance by 16%, which translates into a two percent "reduction in the time taken to cover a set distance." The study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, suggests that gains from drinking beet juice are greater than those that could be achieved with training.

This new research builds on earlier findings that beet juice lowers blood pressure. The scientists believe that nitrates in beets affect oxygen uptake and that this discovery could benefit people with cardiovascular and respiratory disease as well as professional and amateur athletes.

Thanks Fit!

Labels: beet juice, beets, blood pressure, cleanse, energy, healthy food, juicing, Stamina, study, vegetable

Mitochondria are the little factories in our cells that take the foods we eat and the oxygen we breathe and convert them into energy. That energy is called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, and it is used to support every function in our body.

Each cell holds hundreds or thousands of mitochondria; they are found in greater amounts in active organs and tissues such as the muscles, heart, and brain. In fact, we have more than 100,000 trillion mitochondria in our bodies, and each one contains 17,000 little assembly lines for making ATP.

Why are these are these little energy factories so important to your health?

The answer is simple: Mitochondria are the place where metabolism happens.

When your mitochondria aren’t working properly, your metabolism runs less efficiently or can practically shut down.

Problems occur because these powerful energy producers are VERY sensitive to damage.

And when they are damaged, you suffer all the symptoms of low energy—fatigue, memory loss, pain, rapid aging, and more.

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Labels: aging, ATP, biology, energy, fatigue, mitochondria

Excellent food sources of iron include chard, spinach, thyme, and turmeric.

Very good sources of iron include romaine lettuce, blackstrap molasses, tofu, mustard greens, turnip greens, string beans, and shiitake mushrooms.

Good sources of iron include beef tenderloin, lentils, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, venison, garbanzo beans, broccoli, leeks, and kelp.

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Labels: eating healthy, energy, foods, healthy diet, iron

Did you know that the B vitamins in green peas may help reduce fatigue and sluggishness?

In order for the energy in the food you eat to be accessible to your body for energy production, it must be transformed into a form your body can use. This transference of energy requires enzymes and many nutrients, especially B vitamins. The role of B vitamins in the functioning of the mitochondria (the energy production factories inside your cells) is one reason they are sometimes referred to as the "energy vitamins." All of the B vitamins are important for producing energy, and plentiful amounts of most of them can be found in a one cup serving of green peas: one cup contains 27% of your daily value (DV) for B1, 18% DV for B6, 16% DV for B3 and 14% DV for B2. So, for a healthy energy boost, add nutritious, sweet tasting green peas to your Healthier Way of Eating.

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Labels: b-vitamins, energy, green peas, healthy food, peas, vegetable

Take B. You need B vitamins for your mitochondria -- the parts of your cells that turn food into energy -- to do their job. Unfortunately, 99% of us don’t get enough from our diets. B ut most of us absorb the B vitamins well (either in liquid or pill form), so it’s a good idea to take a multivitamin in the morning and the evening (twice a day to keep stable levels) to keep you energized. Also, get your B level checked once a year. You may be the rare person who needs a yearly injection of vitamin B, because you don’t absorb it well from your stomach and intestine. This handy tool will help you find the best food sources of B6, B9, and B12.

Go green. Green tea has been shown to have the highest content of polyphenols, which are chemicals with potent antioxidant properties. Because green tea leaves are young and have not been oxidized, green tea has up to a 40% polyphenols content, while black tea contains only about 10%. Another interesting note: Although green tea has one-third the caffeine of black tea, it’s been shown to yield the same level of energy and attentiveness. Fortunately, these come in more even levels than other caffeinated drinks, which can cause ups and downs. Just don’t drink milk with it: The casein in milk has been shown to inhibit the beneficial effects of tea. Try these delicious green tea beverage recipes.

Go Peruvian in the morning. Tribesmen in the mountains of Peru get energy by sucking on maca (Lepidium meyenii) plants. This turnip- or radish-shaped vegetable from the mustard family has been used as food and medicine to promote endurance and improve energy, vitality, sexual virility, and even fertility. The data on its increased energy effects seem strong, but the reported side effect is insomnia. You can find it in a powder form at many stores (Whole Foods, etc.) or from reputable dealers on the Web. Add 1 teaspoon (that’s the dose in the studies) to blender drinks, pancakes, or other food products. T he teaspoon keeps you going all day long. Or you can take it in 1/2-gram pills twice a day.

Scoop up, power up. The real nutritional hero: ribose. This special sugar is made in your body and doesn’t come from food, but you can get it in a supplement; it helps build the energy blocks of your body. Of all the things you can do to combat the effects of knee-dragging fatigue, taking a daily ribose supplement is the one that seems to really turbocharge some people who have diseases associated with low energy. (The only side effect is that some people feel too much energy.) The data aren’t good enough to recommend ribose for everyone. But if you want to give it a try, start with 500 mg 3x/day for a week or so until you get used to the taste (or find a smoothie, coffee, or tea to put it in). Then, go to 5g 3x/day for 3 weeks to get a sense of the effect. After that, you can scale back to 5 grams twice a day.

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Labels: b-vitamins, energy, green tea, maca, ribose, supplements

When a person is sapped by fatigue, the last thing he or she wants to do is exercise. But new research shows that regular, low-intensity exercise may help boost energy levels in people suffering from fatigue.

Fatigue is one of the most common health symptoms and can be a sign of a variety of medical problems. However, about one in four people suffers from general fatigue not associated with a serious medical condition.

“Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out — especially when we are already feeling fatigued,” said researcher Tim Puetz, PhD., who recently completed his doctorate at the university and is the lead author of the study. “However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy — particularly in sedentary individuals.”

Why exercise helps fatigue isn’t clear, but Dr. Puetz said his findings suggest exercise acts directly on the central nervous system to increase energy and reduce fatigue. Notably, the improvements in energy and fatigue were not related to increases in aerobic fitness.

“A lot of people are overworked and not sleeping enough,” said Patrick O’Connor, PhD., co-director of the university’s exercise psychology laboratory. “Exercise is a way for people to feel more energetic. There’s a scientific basis for it, and there are advantages to it compared to things like caffeine and energy drinks.”

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Labels: energy, exercise, fatigue, healthy living, study

Good Morning World! Nothing like a cold shower to get you going. This remedy as old as yoga and can be just as effective to boost your system. Some macrobiotics claim it helps create an alkaline reaction for over acidic conditions. If this seems about as appealing as wearing your bikini in a snowstorm, take your normal hot shower and at the end turn the water to a mildly cold temperature. This change will pleasantly wake you up.

Labels: cold, cold shower, energy, natural health, natural therapy