Tag: endurance

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Beets & Athletic Performance

Beets

Beets are renowned for their potential health benefits, particularly in enhancing athletic performance. Here’s how beets can positively impact health and athletic endeavors:

  1. Nitric Oxide Production: Beets are rich in dietary nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps relax and dilate blood vessels, leading to improved blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles during exercise. This enhanced blood flow can enhance endurance and reduce the oxygen cost of exercise, allowing athletes to perform better for longer durations.
  2. Improved Exercise Efficiency: Studies have shown that consuming beetroot juice or beet supplements can lead to improvements in exercise efficiency, allowing athletes to maintain a given workload while requiring less oxygen. This effect may be particularly beneficial for endurance athletes, such as runners and cyclists, by delaying fatigue and improving overall performance.
  3. Increased Stamina and Endurance: The nitric oxide boost from beets can enhance stamina and endurance by improving the efficiency of energy production within muscles. This may result in athletes being able to sustain higher intensities for longer periods, leading to improved performance in both aerobic and anaerobic activities.
  4. Enhanced Recovery: The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of beets may aid in post-exercise recovery by reducing muscle soreness and inflammation. Consuming beets or beet-derived supplements post-workout can help replenish glycogen stores, reduce oxidative stress, and promote faster recovery between training sessions.
  5. Blood Pressure Regulation: Beet consumption has been associated with lower blood pressure due to its nitric oxide-boosting effects. While this benefit is not specific to athletic performance, maintaining healthy blood pressure levels is essential for overall cardiovascular health and optimal athletic performance.
  6. Improved Cognitive Function: Some research suggests that the nitric oxide produced from beet consumption may enhance cognitive function and mental performance. This can be particularly beneficial for athletes who require focus, concentration, and decision-making skills during training and competition.

Incorporating beets into your diet, either in whole form, as beet juice, or in supplement form, may offer various health benefits, including enhanced athletic performance. However, individual responses to beet consumption may vary, so it’s essential to experiment with timing, dosage, and form to determine what works best for you. As always, consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet or supplementation regimen, especially if you have underlying health conditions or concerns.

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Athletes and Altitude

Altitude

A Naturopathic approach to preventing adverse symptoms during endurance competition at elevation.

Altitude can have an impact on the overall well-being and performance. Higher elevations mean lower oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere. Athletes who are not yet adapted to the change in lower oxygen concentrations could present with symptoms such as headache, nausea, insomnia, light-headedness, brain fog, anorexia and more seriously, altitude sickness.

Those who live and/or train at high altitude are better adapted to the lower oxygen concentrations. The physiological adaptations that occur when training at altitude are a performance advantage for the endurance athlete. 

For those athletes who are not yet adapted to the higher altitude, below is a list of strategies to mitigate the potential adverse symptoms associated with competing at high altitude.

Gradual Ascent

The best strategy to prevent high altitude sickness is a gradual ascent to promote acclimatization. Once above 2500m (8,202ft), the altitude at which one sleeps should not be increased by more than 600m (1,968ft) in 24 hrs. and then an extra day should be added for the acclimatization for every increase of 600m to 1200m (3,937ft) in this altitude. For purposes of competing in Mammoth, CA (7,900 ft), it may be a good strategy to find accommodation in Bishop, CA, approximately a 45 minute drive at lower altitude.

The best strategy to prevent high altitude sickness is a gradual ascent to promote acclimatization. Once above 2500m (8,202ft), the altitude at which one sleeps should not be increased by more than 600m (1,968ft) in 24 hrs. and then an extra day should be added for the acclimatization for every increase of 600m to 1200m (3,937ft) in this altitude. For purposes of competing in Mammoth, CA (7,900 ft), it may be a good strategy to find accommodation in Bishop, CA, approximately a 45 minute drive at lower altitude.

Training Technologies: Oxygen and Hydrogen

 

Exercise With Oxygen Therapy

Training strategies such as intentionally lowering oxygen concentrations will allow the body to adapt to the higher altitude by signaling the kidneys to produce a hormone called erythropoietin. This may be accomplished by training at elevation and sleeping in lower elevations. If one does not have access to training at elevation, it is possible to mimic the training at altitude with technologies such as the EWOT. 

EWOT stands for Exercise With Oxygen Therapy.  It is an oxygen device which connects to your breath and acts on the body’s physiology by alternating between oxygen-rich gas (~95% oxygen) to a lower concentration oxygen gas. This is similar to exercising at an altitude of 12,000 feet (~13% oxygen). By alternating between high and low oxygen concentrations, you’re able to simulate a high-altitude workout in short bursts (30 seconds).

Exercise with Oxygen Therapy

H2 Hydrogen Inhalation and Drinking System

Molecular hydrogen has been shown to achieve a number of important benefits. It can improve athletic performance because, via passive diffusion, it quickly reaches subcellular compartments and helps protect proteins, RNA, DNA, mitochondria and cell membranes from damage.

Molecular hydrogen

Herbal Support

 

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba has been used prophylactically to prevent headaches at altitude. The mechanism of action is unknown. It may block inducible nitric oxide; an antioxidant oxygen radical scavenger; may block platelet-activating factor. Gingko Biloba must be used in caution in pregnant women and individuals on antithrombotic agents.* Studies show, “Ginkgo biloba prevented acute mountain sickness during a gradual ascent to 5000 m and reduced both the symptoms and the incidence of acute mountain sickness by 50 percent during an abrupt ascent to 4100 m.”

When taken prophylactically, 4-5 days before the event, likelihood of headache will decrease.

Gingko Biloba

Cordyceps

Cordyceps has been traditionally used in Asia for strenuous, high altitude activities and as an immune tonic. Additionally it is known for its antioxidant support, DNA-protecting properties, and lung-supporting effects, Cordyceps also supports an engaged and balanced immune response. Cordyceps supports energy, stamina and endurance, promotes healthy respiration, kidney function, brain health with aging and more. Dosing for high altitude varies. Some individuals may start 1 month prior to their high-altitude event at around 2000mg  three times per day. 

Cordyceps

References:

Hackett. “High-Altitude Illness.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 198, no. 1, 1928, pp. 50–50, https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm192802231980115.

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