Fitness and Performance Nutrition

As an athlete, you know what you use to energize your body is of the utmost importance.

Regular refueling throughout the day has been proven to enhance your body's repair and recovery process and bolster your immune system so you never miss a minute of your personal training schedule.

But so many “fitness” foods and beverages are far from being healthy and can hinder your success. To get the most from your body and your workouts, you need to have the highest-quality fuel: whole grains, lean meats, and fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Using a Vitamix machine will help you incorporate healthy, power-providing foods into your diet and give your fitness goals a boost everyday.

Give your body what it needs to perform

Vitamix Whole Food Smoothies:

Fuel for Running America and a better life for you.

	Photos courtesy of RunningAmerica08.com

Vitamix was part of a real running epic!   The documentary film “Running America 08” , due to be released in the fall of 2009, chronicles two marathon runners’ quest to conquer the entire length of the United States on foot.  Vitamix was thrilled to be able to provide power smoothies to fuel Marshall Ulrich, age 57, and Charlie Engle, age 43, along the route of Running America 08. These two men are nothing short of amazing-neither rain, snow, sleet nor hail (they did face all that!) kept them from completing the 3,043 mile journey. Running up to 70 miles a day required 10-12,000 calories, and frequent liquid meals were the easy, energy-efficient answer! The nutrient dense, energy-packed Vitamix smoothies kept them going strong.

On Tuesday, November 4, 2009, Marshall completed the last leg of the journey anzd touched the top step of New York City Hall. Charlie, who sustained an injury earlier in the run, completed the marathon on his bike, lending support and encouragement to his friend Marshall all along the way.  One incredible accomplishment for two amazing athletes!   Special congratulations to Marshall for setting a new Men's Grand Master and Masters records for the fastest crossing of America (USA) on foot.

Make nutrients work for you

Valuable life-giving nutrients locked inside the pulp, peels and seeds of fruits and vegetables cannot be absorbed as easily when these foods are simply chewed. When fresh, whole foods are taken down to the cellular level by the Vitamix, the nutrients become readily available to nourish your body. The Vitamix machine ruptures the cell walls of whole foods to make the enzymes more bioavailable. Breaking the food into microscopic particles also releases more flavor, so meals are not only more nutritious, but delicious and satisfying when made in the Vitamix 5200. Check out our research on the subject.

Stay hydrated

"To achieve optimal performance, you must first achieve optimal health. Vitalizing whole food nutrition is the key. A Vitamix is the easiest way to pack your diet full of nutrient dense whole foods." - Brendan Brazier: professional Ironman triathlete and bestselling author on performance nutrition.

"When the body is properly hydrated, the blood is at the proper consistency, enabling efficient distribution throughout the body. The cells of a hydrated body swell, causing an anabolic response (growth of muscle tissue), speeding up cellular renewal. As well, hydrated cells remain alkaline. A catabolic response (breakdown of muscle tissue) will occur if the cells become dehydrated, advancing degeneration. Maintaining blood volume through proper hydration also allows:

• Red blood cells to deliver oxygen to muscles efficiently,
• Delivery of nutrients throughout the body,
  removal of waste products such as carbon dioxide,
• Proper hormone distribution.

-Taken from "The Thrive Diet" by Brendan Brazier
www.brendanbrazier.com

Research Proves Whole Foods are Better than Supplements for Disease Prevention

"I didn't discover the secret to '6-pack abs' until I switched to 100% WHOLE FOOD. The Vitamix machine makes it fast and easy to fit whole foods into my daily routine." - Valerie Waugaman: IFBB Professional Figure Competitor Sign up to receive our newsletter today and receive "Val's Favorite Vitamix Recipes!"

If living a long and healthy life is the true measurement of personal success, what can we, as individuals, do to extend our years and keep disease at bay? According to some recent studies, vitamin supplements may not necessarily be the answer. 

Our nation’s vitamin supplement industry is a $23 billion business. But, research shows that there is no sufficient evidence that taking vitamins – in pill form – helps prevent chronic disease or prolong life. So why are so many Americans hooked on taking vitamins?

We all need vitamins, which are essential nutrients that keep our bodies running at peak performance.  The human body cannot produce these nutrients on its own and inadequate amounts of vitamin D or vitamin C, for example, can cause numerous health problems.

A balanced diet, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, is the key to maintaining good health, and in the U.S. many popular foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Because of this, diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies are rare.

Over the years, scientists have suspected that the benefits of a healthful diet come from eating the whole fruit or vegetable, not by isolating the vitamins found in them – and taking them in pill form.

It is suggested that taking vitamin supplements – by isolating one or two key vitamins from broccoli, for example, may not reproduce the health benefits found in the whole food. And there are many research studies to prove this belief.

One such study, made available in February of 2009, tells us that researchers in the Women’s Health Initiative study tracked eight years of multivitamin use among more than 161,000 older women. And despite earlier findings suggesting that multivitamins might lower the risk for heart disease and certain cancers, the study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, found no such benefit.

In 2008, another study that tracked almost 15,000 male physicians for a decade reported no differences in cancer or heart disease rates among those using vitamins E and C compared with those taking a placebo. And in October of 2008, a study of 35,000 men dashed hopes that high doses of vitamin E and selenium could lower the risk of prostate cancer. 

So, what’s the answer? If you want to live to be 100, listen to what your mother told you and eat your vegetables. And fruits. If you’re bored with them, mix it up ,or rather “Vitamix it up” by making one-minute green smoothies (you won’t taste the “green”), 4-minute soup (go from fresh to steaming hot), and an array of quick and delicious good-for-you desserts, purees, drinks, dips, spreads, appetizers and salsas with your Vitamix blender. Prepare to live long and prosper.