In recent years, sports nutrition researchers have discovered that pH is one of the most important factors governing athletic performance. pH is the acid/alkaline balance that the body tries to regulate to keep itself healthy. Paired with it is the ability of the body to neutralize free radicals during intense bursts of exercise, whether it is running a marathon or playing an hour of hockey.
Arterial blood which feeds your muscles, tendons and ligaments works best in a slightly alkaline pH of 7.365 to 7.4. The muscles that it feeds work optimally at 6.9 pH. This is where there is the most comfort and efficiency of movement. By keeping the body terrain in the neutral to slightly alkaline range, it can work harder and faster for longer periods of time before the acidic wastes become so concentrated that the body really suffers.
You can measure your saliva and urine pH with special strips you purchase from a health food store or online. By monitoring your pH at various times, before and after doing various types of exercise, you can see what happens inside your own body.
Researchers have shown that as you move, the muscles take in fuel to do what muscles do-expand and contract at varying rates of speed. The more intense and faster the movement the more acid by-products they produce as the fuel is burned. This result shows that the harder a muscle or group of muscles has to work, the faster the build-up of acidic waste.
As the muscle pH finally drops below 6.5, there is a breakdown in the fueling cycle. As a result, the muscles cannot absorb fuel efficiently or eliminate the rapidly building acidic wastes that are accumulating. Adequate alkaline diet and hydration are paramount to delay this process as eventually powerful movement diminishes along with blood flow and oxygenation. Breathing labors as the body tries to right itself.
Before exertion happens, there needs to be a reserve bank of alkalinity to prepare the system for intense movement. You can stem the tide of acidic by-products by drinking alkaline, anti-oxidant rich water and eating more alkaline-forming foods. By flushing the system before, during and after exercise, that inevitable crash into the wall is farther away. This flushing process reduces fatigued muscles and the horrible burn that happens when the muscles are loaded with activity related acidic wastes.
Lots of people including athletes eat less alkaline-forming foods like vegetables, legumes and nuts and more meats, fish, poultry, eggs, pasta and other simple carbs. The long term effects of high acidity in the body can be devastating in the later years of life so it behooves the athlete to try to keep the damage to a minimum by keeping the blood and muscle system as close to its ideal pH for as long as possible. By consistently adopting a more alkaline lifestyle, it becomes easier to be in top form during the training process and especially during event time. Post performance recovery is also much more rapid and comfortable.
By drinking alkaline, antioxidant water, the body can recover its ideal pH much faster than with diet alone. The body is much happier and more efficient over all and you will be very pleased with your performance.
