Fueling your body for exercise

Hi Running with Sass readers, my name is Kate over at A Healthy Passion. I originally started my blog to share my passions for good food, fitness, and health with the world and in the meantime found my love for writing. I am excited to be blogging for Heather today, she is one of my favorite bloggers and I am always inspired by her running accomplishments. Although I’m not a runner myself, I do love to exercise and believe the key to achieving your fitness goals depends strongly on how you fuel your body. So today I thought I would share with you some tips on nourishing your body for peak performance.

#1 Get Your Greens: Alkaline forming foods balance the body’s pH therefore improving recovery time and decreasing fatigue. Consume highly alkalizing foods rich in chlorophyll such as green vegetables, seaweed, alge, chorella, and spirulina for best results!

#2 Focus on Antioxidants: Antioxidants protect your cells from oxidation which can create free radicals. Damage from free radicals has been linked to cancer as well as other serious diseases. Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals escorting them out of your system. Choose berries, fruit, and green tea to help protect your cells and speed up recovery.

#3 Include Healthy Fats: Essential fatty acids cannot be produced by the body and are important in cardiovascular, immune, and nervous system function. Combined with proper endurance training, a diet with adequate essential fatty acids can increase endurance. Increase flax and hemp see consumption for a healthy balance of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

#4 Incorporate Raw: Raw food takes less energy to digest because the enzymes in the food are still active. It also typically has a higher nutritional value because nutrition is often lost in cooking. Consume raw fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables for higher net nutrient gain as well as increased energy.

#5 Hydrate: The human body is 70 percent water and if you don’t get enough fluid or aren’t drinking the right things it can severely compromise your health. The body uses water to neutralize acids, dilute excess acid, and wash toxins out of your body via sweat or through urine. Without enough water your body becomes acidic going into preservation mode which leads to fat storage and fatigue. Most health experts recommend consuming 2 liters per day!

#6 Snack Properly: Consume an easily digestible form of carbohydrate before workouts to increase your energy and endurance. Focus on fruit and sprouted seeds such as dates and sprouted buckwheat for optimal pre workout fuel.

#7 Up Your Calcium Intake (from plants): Calcium in the blood stream can be lost from sweating and muscle contractions so more active people need higher amounts of calcium. Acidic environments in the body often caused by over consumption of animal products cause calcium to be leeched from the bones and lost by the body. Consume a large supply of organic calcium from green leafy vegetables to ensure that the bones stay strong and the muscle contractions remain smooth and efficient.

#8 Include Iron: According to Birthorderplus, iron helps maintain red blood cell health so that the body can deliver oxygen rich blood to the muscles. Iron also helps build blood proteins essential for digestion, metabolism, and circulation. Focus on leafy greens such as kale and pumpkin seeds rather than red meat for increasing iron consumption.

Sources: Thrive & The pH Miracle

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all soon over at ahealthypassion.com!