Strenous Exercise: Releases Toxic Molecules in Your Body

JulieF11

Headline got your attention?!? I just read about this and wanted to share what I learned. Let me explain:

Do I suggest not exercising? HEAVENS NO! It's very important to overall health, in addition to helping you reach your goals. However, strenuous exercise can cause the production of free radicals in your body, increasing the risk of stroke or heart attack. Here's the good news: Proper nutrition can help deactivate those free radicals.

Fitness trainer, and author , Jamie Baird, tells us how to do that in his book "Running Fit": Basically, the answer is by eating colorful fruits and veggies. But where do those toxins, I'm referring to, come from? According to his book, chances are you've been exposed to pollution, tobacco, alcohol, insecticides, radiation, and chemicals and maybe even a high fat diet (not the good kind of fats, mind you), so you may have stored toxins in your body that may then be released, as free radicals, during strenuous exercise.

Here's the most important point I want you to get from my post: It's very important if you are introducing a strenuous exercise program, that you eat fresh fruits and veggies containing vitamin E, C and beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A).

On page 45 (under nutrition) in his book "Running Fit":

"When you run, you place stress on the body and it responds by producing free radicals, toxic molecules that damage healthy cells by destablising their normal structures. Unless dealt with, free radicals slowly destroy the body. Antioxidants are the molecules that combat free radical damage. A select group of vitamins, antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin A are found in healthy foods, like fruit and vegetables and can help your body to repair toxic breakdown. Therefore, maintaining correct nutrition during training is essential. Getting the right balance of foods will ensure you have enough antioxidants to destroy the free radicals."

Here are some of his recommended veggies and fruits to help your body fight the free radicals:

Colorful fruits and veggie such as carrots, apricots, dark leafy vegetables, red peppers, sweet potatoes and blue-green algae. Also, nuts, whole grains, and vegetable oils. Black currants, berries, broccoli, cabbage, citrus fruits, kale, kiwi, papaya, spinach, tomatoes and watercress.