8 Perfect Fitness Foods
Spinach is muscle fuel. But not because it instantly turns you lean and sexy. Researchers from Rutgers University found that a compound in the leafy green increases protein synthesis by 120%, helping your muscle tissue to repair itself faster after you work out. The problem, however, is that you'd have to eat Popeye-sized quantities to experience dramatic results (I'm talking almost 2 pounds of the iron-packed veggies a day!). The good news is that spinach isn't the only food that can help you to look and feel better than ever---even when you aren't exercising. The right fitness foods burn fat, build muscle, and even boost your cardiovascular health. These 8 great foods and drinks are guaranteed to make any type of exercise you do more effective--long after you've broken a sweat.
Eat This!
Pineapple and Papaya
Good for: Muscle Recovery
Both of these tropical fruits are loaded with bromelain and papain, enzymes that not only help break down proteins for digestion but also have anti-inflammatory properties to speed up your post-workout recovery.
Salmon
Good for: Cardiovascular Fitness
Australian researchers found that cyclists who took fish oil for 8 weeks had lower heart rates and consumed less oxygen during intense bicycling than a control group did. The fatty acids in fish oil need to become incorporated into muscle and heart cells to have an effect, and that takes weeks of consumption--so either take fish oil pills each day or try to eat fish rich in fatty acids multiple times a week to see similar results.
PB&J and Pasta with Meat Sauce
Good for: Muscle building and repair
The perfect post-weight training repast has about 400 calories with 20 to 30 grams of protein to build new muscle and 50 to 65 grams of carbohydrates to repair muscle.
Port Tenderloin
Good for: Waist Trimming
Lean meats are a great low-calorie source of protein and scientists found that eating more protein reduces the fat around your midsection.
DRINK THAT!
8 Ounces of Chocolate Milk
Good for: Hydration
The best sports drink comes from a cow and is useful to rehydrate the body after exercise. Milk has electrolytes and potassium and the addition of chocolate gives milk the perfect a balance of carbs, protein, amd fat for speady muscle recovery.
Coffee
Good for: Pain relief
Taking a caffeine supplement equal to two cups of coffee after exercise reduces muscle soreness more than pain relievers can. Caffeine blocks a chemical that activates pain receptors.
Cold Water
Good for: Endurance
Drinkimg cold water before and during exercise can help improve your endurance. Cyclists who drank 30 ounces of a chilled drink in the half hour before riding in a hot. humid environment--and smaller amounts as they rode--were able to bike 23% longer than riders who downed lukewarm liquids.
Green Tea
Good for: Muscle Recovery
Participans who consumed three cups of green tea every for a week had fewer markers of the cell damage caused by resistance to exercise.
