Beetroot Juice For Endurance

For the two weeks leading up to my bike ride I began drinking beetroot juice.

I first came across the benefits of beetroot juice a few years ago when I read it in a magazine and tested the theory on my husband. He takes part in the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride and cycles over 70 miles for charity every year.

Last year due to a back problem, he was concerned that he had not done as much training as he intended and would struggle. I suggested that he tried drinking a small glass of beetroot juice two weeks leading up to the ride.

He did this and sure enough on the day of the ride, other than some back pain, he got through the ride virtually easily.

Here is what the experts say about it:

Although the exact way in which beetroot works its magic is still unclear, the scientists think the effects on exercise endurance may be due to the high concentration of naturally occurring nitrates that are found in this purple veggie. In the body, nitrate converts into nitric acid, which dilates blood vessels. This leads to a reduction in the amount of oxygen used during exercise, which means we can increase our endurance and don’t feel as tired when we do our usual work out. It also helps to lower blood pressure.

Professor Andy Jones who worked on the study from the University of Exeter’s School of Sport and Health Sciences said, “Our study is the first to show that nitrate-rich food can improve exercise endurance. We were amazed by the effects of beetroot juice on oxygen uptake because these benefits cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.”

I certainly found that it helped me in my bike ride and was definitely worth drinking a small glass every day for two weeks prior.

I buy mine from the super market as I found this is the cheapest place.