With all of the talk about illegal performance enhancing drugs in cycling, baseball, and other sports, I thought it would be interesting to discuss legal performance enhancers. Unlike the devastating long-term effects that EPO and steriods have on the human body, giving yourself a dose of the following will help to improve your running without destroying your body.
Caffeine: Drinking caffeine before a race or workout can give the nervous system a boost and increase the efficiency of muscles. Researchers have also found that caffeine causes muscles to release calcium, which can help muscle endurance. Finally, caffeine has the ability to modify the brain’s sensation of exhaustion, which allows the body to perform at a high level for a longer period of time.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is an essential hormone that humans obtain from sunshine. However, during the winter months, Vitamin D deficiency can cause all kinds of problems in humans. Therefore, it is very important to take a supplement. Proper Vitamin D levels enable muscles and nerves to function properly and may even improve athletic performance. The theory is that vitamin D facilitates oxygen uptake in the body, which is absolutely essential to running fast.
Honey: Honey is one of the best sources of energy for running. Consuming honey before a run replenishes a runner’s glycogen stores, which is the most efficient source of energy for the human body. Honey also does a great job boosting blood sugar levels, which is important because exercise can cause a decrease in blood sugar. If blood sugar is decreased too much, it can lead to a condition known as hypoglycemia, which involves sweating, dizziness, blurred vision and even loss of consciousness. If your race or run occurs early in the morning, taking honey is especially important because blood sugar levels are often at their lowest in the morning. By taking honey before a run or race, a runner can help prevent the effects of low blood sugar.
Green Tea: There is some evidence that green tea improves the body’s ability to use fatty acids as an energy source for exercise, which allows a runner to run faster for a longer period of time. Green tea also contains antixoidants, which are so important in reducing cell damage that is caused from strenuous exercise.
Although these natural performance enhancers will not result in the huge performance gains of illegal performance enhancers, they will enable to you to run better without all of the side effects of those illegal substances.
