Lemon as we know is a citrus fruit and it's used in many food preparations and beverages. We all are well aware about Lemons being a great source of Vitamin C. Proceed reading and find out how lemon is beneficial for people who workout.
Lemon promotes fast absorption of vitamin C and helps eliminate excess acids from your body. Adding a few drops of lemon juice to simple water can help you stay fully hydrated while you sweat out those extra calories and you also get your dose of mineral salts without adding any calories. It is an antioxidant rich food.
In addition to losing water when you work out, your body also excretes salts, or electrolytes. Plain water can replace fluid lost through sweat, but might not contain the electrolytes your body needs during and after a run. Lemon juice, on the other hand, contains several essential electrolytes, including potassium, an electrolyte essential for proper muscle function. While the efficacy of lemon juice for replacing electrolytes lost during a run has not been fully investigated, lemon water's potassium content might benefit your health during a run.
- Lemon Water Can Help You Drink More Water
Drinking enough water is important for atheletes as dehydration can negatively impact your performance during your workout.
Many people struggle to get enough water throughout the day, simply because it isn’t that interesting to just drink water. When someone tells us this, we always recommend adding a flavour to their water, such as lemon, fruit or herbs.
Other store-bought water flavourings include added sugar, which are just empty calories that can negatively affect your weight. On the contrary we have a lemon mint iced tea which has zero sugar, zero preservatives and zero additives.
- Lemon Water Is a Calorie-Free Drink Option
Lemon water has no calories, which are especially helpful for people that are maintaining their calorie intake.
When you are maintaining or losing weight, the calories you are eating are lower than what you are burning, which can lead to hunger. If you are drinking calories by consuming something like soda or juice, you are likely to find that hunger is even worse as these liquids do nothing to fill you up.
By opting for a calorie-free drink like lemon water, you can use all your calories on food that will physically fill you up so you are more satisfied.
Lemon water can also be a great option to add in when you are craving sugar, as we have a perfect blend of lemon, mint, stevia and other spices.
- Lemon Water Is High in Vitamin C
Lemon water is high in vitamin C which has been shown to help boost immune function.
For athletes, getting sick can be a major hurdle, especially if they are prepping for a competition. Not only can it cause you to miss workouts, but it can also impact your diet and therefore nutrition. Consuming sufficient vitamin C can play a role in supporting your body’s natural immune function, keeping you healthier and able to fight off sickness.
Here are four reasons to include adequate vitamin C rich foods in your diet:
- It’s a potent antioxidant
Antioxidants like vitamin C play an important role in slowing down processes that cause cell damage in the body. One example is inflammation caused by training. For this reason, vitamin C can be beneficial in assisting with sports recovery and also supporting return from injury.
- It supports the formation of collagen
Collagen is an abundant protein in your body and a major building block for bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. You need to eat daily to help initiate the constant turnover and replenishment of collagen, and vitamin C assists with this process. Training puts stress on your body to achieve adaptations such as improved strength, power, endurance, agility or skill. Collagen can help support consistent training by either sustaining or rebuilding these important structures.
- It supports a healthy immune system
Vitamin C contributes to immune defence by supporting various cellular functions of the immune system. The adaptive immune system remembers foreign pathogens and can respond to ward off sickness or infection more quickly a second time around to stay well longer.
- It assists with the absorption of iron
Iron is another micronutrient the body needs to carry oxygen around the body, assist with brain function, synthesise DNA and support immunity (read more about iron here). Having vitamin C when you consume iron will help its absorption.
You might be eating iron, but without adequate absorption with the help of vitamin C you may not be getting everything you need to avoid an iron deficiency which could then impact your body both physically and mentally as an athlete.
Can You Drink Lemon Beverages Before Workouts?
Yes, you can drink lemon water before a workout as it can help you stay hydrated and perform well during your workout. Since lemon water doesn’t contain any macronutrients, it’s important to pair it with a full meal. Lemon water alone won’t be an adequate pre-workout meal.
Can You Drink Lemon Beverages After Workouts?
Yes, lemon water is a good option to drink after a workout as it provides vitamin C which promotes recovery post-workout. It’s important to ensure you are consuming it along with a lean protein and carb source to maximize recovery. Lemon water alone won’t be an adequate post-workout meal.
Does Lemon Beverages Help Muscle Growth?
Lemon water can help with muscle growth as adequate hydration is required to perform well at the gym and provide adequate training stimulus.
So, what are you waiting for, add our lemon infused iced teas to your diets right now and enjoy them before, after or during your workouts and at any other time of the day.
