Antioxidants Fitness:

Antioxidants Are Great for Fitness and Bodybuilding Too

By Mike Geary
Founder, TruthAboutAbs.com

I bet you’ve heard about the amazing health benefits of antioxidant-rich foods in your diet. Not only do these free-radical fighting antioxidants help you appear and feel younger by slowing down the aging process, but they also help to prevent cancer, heart disease, and tons of other degenerative diseases. Good news is that’s not all. Antioxidants also help you recover better from strenuous exercise… and that means more muscle and less fat on your body in the long run!

The function that antioxidants play in post-exercise is the inhibition of free radicals produced during the workout. Any time you work out, free radicals are produced in the body that damage muscle tissue. Having an adequate supply of antioxidants about an hour or so before your workout can greatly reduce the muscle damage caused by free radicals -- improving your muscular recovery from exercise.

Some of the most potent sources of whole food antioxidants are blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, cherries, acai fruit, green tea, white tea, black tea, and red tea, nuts, seeds, red and black beans, purple potatoes, grapes, cinnamon, and cocoa. Oh, and don't fall for the hype with expensive antioxidant supplement pills… remember whole foods are always better for you (and cheaper) than a pill.

My favorite pre-workout antioxidant-loaded snack is a piece of whole grain toast with almond butter, a small amount of blackberry jam, and topped with a pile of fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries. I also have a glass of iced green tea.

The almond butter, blackberries, blueberries, raw honey, and the green tea are all loaded with different varieties of muscle protecting, youth-promoting antioxidants. I consume this snack about an hour before my training.

Remember, your body is continually bombarded every day by free radicals (creating oxidative stress) from exercise, air pollution, smoke, sun exposure, junk food, exposure to chemicals, etc. To reap the full benefits of antioxidants, ensure that every meal and snack you eat has at least one or two sources of antioxidant rich foods. This will give you a continuous supply of antioxidants throughout every day to prevent the damage and aging that result from the free radicals you are constantly exposed to.

Chet's Note: Antioxidants are just one piece to the puzzle of a healthy diet that will give you the lean, muscular, youthful, and healthy body everyone wants. To discover the secrets behind all of the other pieces to the diet puzzle, don’t forget to get your copy of Mike's book, The Truth about Six Pack Abs.