Original article: Tips On How To Boost Your Energy Level: Nutritional Advice From a 101 Year Old Marathon Runner
I recently read an interesting article about a guy who somehow had enough energy to run a marathon (in under 6 hours) at the ridiculous age of 101. He also apparently holds 5 new world records (for his age) in different running events. What was his secret?
When asked what his secret was, he confessed that eating a certain combination of foods gives him limitless energy. He discovered that when he ate broccoli, green tea and spirulina his energy levels just skyrocketed. He had no idea why, or how – he just knew that he felt great when he did and ate it every day from then on.
Note: At this point, I realized that whoever wrote the article was now going to try to now promote some sort of supplement containing these foods. For all I know, the story about the marathon runner could be made up as a part of their pitch – but I was more interested in finding out if the part about the broccoli, spirulina and green tea was true. I’m not here to sell any products or supplements, but I did do a little research on why/how this specific combination of foods might have this effect and I thought I’d share what I found.
Spirulina Spirulina is a form of algae and evidently just loaded with nutrients. It’s made up of high quality, healthy proteins, B vitamins, numerous other minerals with various health benefits.
It boosts your immune system by kick starting antibody production and raising the number of cells in your body that help you fight disease and also helps regulate fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Studies indicate that spirulina may also help:
Chromium helps balance blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance – helping your body process glucose more easily. Steady blood sugar means balanced energy and a breather for your adrenal glands.
Broccoli is chock full of fiber – which can help you maintain weight by making you feel more full so you eat less. This means less fat for your mid section – an area that collects stress weight from cortisol production. Fiber also helps to slow the metabolism of glucose – which goes back the benefits of maintaining normal blood sugar levels that were previously mentioned.
Dark color means nutrient dense. The shade of broccoli is a reflection of the amount of beta-carotene it contains. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals and boost the immune system. The most health benefits are achieved when broccoli is eaten raw or lightly cooked. The stems are higher in fiber that the florets and the leaves have the most beta carotene – so don’t forget those!
Green Tea has shown to boost exercise performance in many studies. Some of this can be attributed to the caffeine content, the rest to it’s nutritional value. There are different types of green tea- one of which is called matcha green tea, that allegedly contains 10 times the nutritional content and produces a more substantial boost in energy than normal green tea.
The kicker…
When taken together, your digestive system not only receives the nutritional benefits you would get by consuming these foods individually, but this combination somehow also helps your digestive enzymes (the chemicals in your stomach that breaks down food) to absorb more of the nutrients in your system already – so you’re getting more bang for your buck with the food you eat if you include broccoli, spirulina and green tea in your regular diet. Better nutrient extraction = more energy, more strength, better immunity, better mood. Makes sense. Supposedly it takes about a week before you start feeling a real noticeable difference in your energy levels.
I recently read an interesting article about a guy who somehow had enough energy to run a marathon (in under 6 hours) at the ridiculous age of 101. He also apparently holds 5 new world records (for his age) in different running events. What was his secret?
When asked what his secret was, he confessed that eating a certain combination of foods gives him limitless energy. He discovered that when he ate broccoli, green tea and spirulina his energy levels just skyrocketed. He had no idea why, or how – he just knew that he felt great when he did and ate it every day from then on.
Note: At this point, I realized that whoever wrote the article was now going to try to now promote some sort of supplement containing these foods. For all I know, the story about the marathon runner could be made up as a part of their pitch – but I was more interested in finding out if the part about the broccoli, spirulina and green tea was true. I’m not here to sell any products or supplements, but I did do a little research on why/how this specific combination of foods might have this effect and I thought I’d share what I found.
Spirulina Spirulina is a form of algae and evidently just loaded with nutrients. It’s made up of high quality, healthy proteins, B vitamins, numerous other minerals with various health benefits.
It boosts your immune system by kick starting antibody production and raising the number of cells in your body that help you fight disease and also helps regulate fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Studies indicate that spirulina may also help:
- Regulate blood sugar levels and fat levels in diabetes
- Slow the growth of cancer
- Prevent and suppress viral infections
- Detoxify the liver and kidneys
Chromium helps balance blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance – helping your body process glucose more easily. Steady blood sugar means balanced energy and a breather for your adrenal glands.
Broccoli is chock full of fiber – which can help you maintain weight by making you feel more full so you eat less. This means less fat for your mid section – an area that collects stress weight from cortisol production. Fiber also helps to slow the metabolism of glucose – which goes back the benefits of maintaining normal blood sugar levels that were previously mentioned.
Dark color means nutrient dense. The shade of broccoli is a reflection of the amount of beta-carotene it contains. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals and boost the immune system. The most health benefits are achieved when broccoli is eaten raw or lightly cooked. The stems are higher in fiber that the florets and the leaves have the most beta carotene – so don’t forget those!
Green Tea has shown to boost exercise performance in many studies. Some of this can be attributed to the caffeine content, the rest to it’s nutritional value. There are different types of green tea- one of which is called matcha green tea, that allegedly contains 10 times the nutritional content and produces a more substantial boost in energy than normal green tea.
The kicker…
When taken together, your digestive system not only receives the nutritional benefits you would get by consuming these foods individually, but this combination somehow also helps your digestive enzymes (the chemicals in your stomach that breaks down food) to absorb more of the nutrients in your system already – so you’re getting more bang for your buck with the food you eat if you include broccoli, spirulina and green tea in your regular diet. Better nutrient extraction = more energy, more strength, better immunity, better mood. Makes sense. Supposedly it takes about a week before you start feeling a real noticeable difference in your energy levels.
