Are Antioxidants Important to Your Health?
They counteract the damage done by a normal process of oxidation in animal tissue. Antioxidants mop up free radicals produced by the body when it breaks down food are other toxins. Toxins can come from environmental pollution, household cleaners, tobacco smoke, drugs, radiation and a variety of other sources.
Antioxidants are nutritents (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes which are proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions. Found in many foods but also bought in supplement form. Antioxidant substances include beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, Vitamin A, C and E.
Antioxidants play a huge role in fighting diseases such as cancer. Also, stroke, heart disease, arthritis and cataracts. Fights Alzheimers disease and other diseases.
Exercise Endurance and Antioxidants
A new study has also found that antioxidants boost exercise endurance. Undertaken by the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. They studied 12 college students who were not regular exercisers. Each given a quercetin supplement for 7 days.
Quercetin, a compound considered an antioxidant. Also an anti inflammatory.Found naturally in red apples, red onions, berries, cabbage, broccoli, and green and black teas. In the study, the participants asked to follow their regular routines and diet but given a placebo twice daily for 7 days. Then asked to do the same thing for another 7 days but given the quercetin supplement.
At the beginning of the study each participant was tested for how long they could ride a stationary bike and also their oxygen uptake. At the end of each 7 day period their maximum oxygen uptake and exercise endurance was measured again. It was found that when given the quercetin, the participants could ride 13% longer than when they were given the placebo. The conclusions point to the fact that certain antioxidants boost endurance and relieve fatigue.
Antioxidants can be found in a number of foods – mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. Fish, nuts and legumes also contain antioxidants. A daily supplement should also be taken to ensure that your intake is sufficient.
Increase Metabolism For Weight Loss
Metabolism is the rate at which the human body burns fat and is the key variable in weight control and weight loss. The speed of metabolism varies greatly from person to person and many factors affect the speed of it. Some people are simply born with slow metabolisms and cannot seem to lose weight no matter what they do. Although your weight has a lot to do with your metabolism, there are ways to speed it up and help you lose weight, burn more calories, and add muscle. Here are three such ways.
Exercise.
Exercise will increase your muscle mass and reduce body fat. The more muscle mass, the more the body’s metabolic rate increases and the more fat will be burned in the body. Recommended exercises include walking, cycling, and swimming along with lifting weights. These activities have even been shown to speed up your metabolism up to eight hours after you stop exercising. Combining aerobic exercises with weight lifting is ideal for burning fat and adding muscle.
Eat regularly.
If you tend to wait a long time between meals this can actually slow down your metabolism. If your body is not being fed properly, your metabolic rate will slow down as a survival mechanism in order to keep the fat you have in case you need it later on. When your body is constantly being fed the nutrients it needs, there is no reason for it to hang on to fat, and your metabolism will increase and naturally keep burning fat throughout the day and night. Eating several small meals throughout the day is ideal.
Drink green tea.
There is evidence that green tea contains antioxidants which can speed up metabolism and promote healthy weight loss. Not only does this drink help you lose weight, but it has been linked to fighting other diseases such as cancer-and it contains less caffeine than coffee does. When choosing a green tea try make sure it is organically grown.
By increasing your metabolism, you will yield many positive benefits. When you have a faster metabolism you will have to do less work because your body will naturally burn more fat, weight loss is permanent and the fat usually stays off, and you can still enjoy the foods that you like to eat instead of relying on a calorie restricted diet.