The human body requires several components to perform at peak performance levels. However, one aspect that not many people think about having is an ideal pH balance. An acidic or alkaline environment can significantly influence your athletic performance and overall health. Thankfully, with the help of alkaline supplements available on the market today, it doesn’t have to be hard to achieve these levels of balance.
Alkaline supplements have been the talk of the town in recent years, with people praising their benefits for overall health. When it comes to sports performance, having an acidic/alkaline balance that is slightly on the alkaline side is not only optimal for your health and energy but can also increase your speed and strength.
What Should Be the Ideal pH in Our Body?
The pH scale measures how acidic or basic (alkaline) a substance is. It ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Any substance with a pH level below 7 is considered acidic, and anything above 7 is considered alkaline. The human body needs to stay within this range for us to feel our best, be healthy, and have optimal athletic performance.
The ideal blood pH level should be slightly alkaline; 7.365 to be exact. Any slight change in blood pH can have severe consequences on an athlete’s health and athletic performance.
For example, if your blood pH goes too low (acidosis), your organs will not function properly, and you may experience fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, headaches, and confusion. If your blood pH goes too high (alkalosis), you may also experience fatigue and muscle twitches as well as numbness and tingling in the face or extremities.
Everything you eat influences your pH. All foods and beverages immediately affect your body’s overall acidic/alkaline balance due to their chemical composition after digestion and absorption.
Eating more alkaline foods contributes to more alkaline body chemistry, which can promote health benefits. Eating more acidic foods contributes to more acidic body chemistry, which can lead to adverse health effects over time.
How Does pH Affect Athletic Performance?
The pH level is a measurement of hydrogen ion concentration in the body. The higher the hydrogen ion concentration, the lower the pH level. The lower the hydrogen ion concentration, the higher the pH level.
The normal range for pH is 7.0 to 7.4, but during exercise, this range can change between 6.8 and 7.6 depending on several factors, like sweat rate and respiratory compensation mechanisms.
An athlete who experiences a drop in blood pH may be fatigued or even lose consciousness due to metabolic acidosis, which happens when there is not enough bicarbonate to buffer acids produced during exercise.
Think of an intense training session and the feeling of your muscles burning. The muscle burn happens because of the production of anaerobic energy (without oxygen). This reaction decreases the pH of your tissues and increases acidity. This elevated acidity causes temporary muscle fatigue, which limits contractile force. Hence, if your muscles have a higher pH, it takes a long time for you to feel the burn, which denotes you can work harder and longer to achieve better results.
When your body becomes too acidic, your body will take calcium from your bones to buffer that acidity into a more alkaline state. Chronic acidity can lead to deficiencies of essential minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Such deficiencies may lead to a number of health issues. A balanced intake of minerals supports good health, proper nerve function, and adequate recovery from exercise.
Benefits of Alkaline Supplements for Athletic Performance
Most people don’t consider alkaline supplements for athletic performance, but they should. Alkaline foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and beans have a high pH level and are highly beneficial for your health. So, naturally, alkaline supplements are highly beneficial for your health.
Many people are surprised to learn that pH is one of the main factors in athletic performance.
Most athletes don’t pay attention to their pH, but it’s a critical factor in determining if your body has enough energy for intense training and competition or if it’s too acidic and fatigued.
The good news is that with the right alkaline supplements, you can quickly boost your pH and improve your athletic performance.
Here are 4 reasons why alkalinity is important for athletes:
- Alkaline Supplements Boost Energy Levels
Have you ever felt tired when working out? That could be due to low pH and acidity in your body. In fact, studies show that even mild dehydration can affect your energy levels by up to 30%. By taking alkaline supplements, you can have more energy for training sessions and athletic competitions.
2. Alkaline Supplements Help with Recovery
No matter how much you train, your body can only take so much abuse before it requires a break for recovery. The key to recovery is refueling your body with enough nutrients to repair the damage done by training and preparing it for more work later on. This is where alkaline supplements come in handy, as they make it easier for your body to absorb all the nutrients it needs while boosting its ability to recover quickly from intense exercise.
3. Alkaline Supplements Reduce Muscle Soreness
Muscle soreness is common after intense exercise, making it challenging to move around and also causing discomfort that can make sleep difficult at night. As alkaline supplements help your body recover faster, they also help reduce muscle soreness by enhancing nutrient delivery to the muscles that need it most.
4. Increase Metabolism Rate
Alkaline supplements can increase metabolic rate by increasing oxygen uptake in the body’s cells. It also contains magnesium, which helps break down fat into glucose molecules that can be burned as fuel during workouts or other activities that require movement and energy.
Benefits of Algae Supplements for Athletes
When we talk about alkaline supplements in the sense of algae and athletic performance, we typically refer to chlorella and spirulina. These are two types of algae that are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. They are also among the most accessible. You can get them in almost any health food store and many supermarkets as well.
Chlorella
Chlorella is a type of algae that is incredibly high in nutrients. It contains more protein than meat and is full of vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and calcium. Chlorella also contains vitamin B12, which many vegans struggle to find in their diet.
Spirulina
Spirulina is a natural algae powder that is incredibly high in protein and nutrients, including B-vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, and selenium. This blue-green algae grows in both fresh water and saltwater and is one of the most popular supplements used around the world today.
Let’s look at some of the benefits of algae for athletes and why it is considered one of the most effective alkaline supplements for athletic performance.
Algae Contains Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are a vital nutrient that most people don’t get enough of in their diet. Unfortunately, algae is not a common part of our diet either. That makes algae supplements an important way to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need to perform at your best.
Research comparing the nutritional value of algae oil with a serving of cooked salmon has found that both contain roughly the same amount of omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients essential to heart health, and have been found to help lower blood pressure. Studies have also shown that omega-3 fatty acids can be used to increase dopamine levels and keep depression at bay.
Algae is Rich in Amino Acids
One of the reasons algae is so beneficial for athletic performance is because it contains a large number of essential amino acids — including all the ones that your body can’t produce on its own called essential amino acids (EAAs). When taking an algae supplement, you’ll be getting sufficient amounts of amino acids like:
- Lysine
- Histidine
- Tryptophan
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine and more
In particular, algae contains high levels of arginine and glutamine — two amino acids that have been shown to enhance athletic performance. These amino acids are known to help increase nitric oxide production in the body, which may improve vascularity.
Algae Works as an Energy booster
Algae supplements offer high levels of energy that can help you train harder. These alkaline supplements contain essential vitamins and minerals that can help fuel your muscles with more energy during workouts. They also help maintain strong tissue, muscle performance, and repair torn down muscle fibers following intense training sessions. Scientists have discovered how microalgae can boost energy levels in athletes.
Prevent Muscle Cramps
The minerals in the blue-green algae spirulina help prevent muscle cramps and spasms during exercise. Magnesium helps regulate electrolytes like calcium and potassium throughout the body. Calcium supports bone health and heart function to keep your body running smoothly during exercise. Potassium works with sodium to support nerve function so that your muscles can work properly without cramping or spasms.
Add Alkaline Supplements to Your Regimen
When looking for quality alkaline supplements, the last thing you want is a product with a bunch of junk and artificial ingredients in it. You want a product that is clean, health-focused, and aligns with your goals. That’s where Holistic Bin steps into the picture.
I’ve been a fan of Holistic Bin for a while now due to their quality products and the fact that their supplements are as natural as they come.
For the sake of this article and topic, Holistic Bin has some alkaline supplements geared toward those looking for overall health benefits and athletic performance. If alkaline supplements are something you’re interested in adding to your supplement regimen, I highly recommend you check out Holistic Bin.
They have a red/green alkaline supplement that is top-notch in quality that is composed of phytoplankton combined with Astaxanthin. This combination helps boost oxygen levels in the body to help improve athletic performance.
Try their alkaline supplements for yourself, and I’m sure you will be impressed by the quality and results you achieve.
Thank you to Matt Weik for contributing this article https://www.weikfitness.com/