No Pain, All Gain

            Tired of having sore muscles?  Combine your cardio and weight workouts, says researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz.  By performing a 30 to 45 second cardio burst prior to each resistance exercise, men reduced soreness instantly.  After 4 weeks, they were sore no more.  “This method accelerates muscle repair,” says W. Jackson Davis, Ph.D., the lead study author.  Start by increasing the intensity of your warm up until you reach a vigorous pace. Then continue with your weight routine, but before each set, jump rope or do sprints for 30 seconds.

Beet Back High Blood Pressure

            It may be time to dust off the Veg-O-Matic.  In less than 4 hours, beet juice lowers your blood pressure by 10 points.  That was the finding of British scientists after they gave men 16 ounces of the beverage and then checked their BP’s.  “Dietary nitrate, a compound in beetroot, it converted to nitric oxide in your body, which opens blood vessels,” says study author Amrita Ahluwalia, Ph.D.  For a palatable potion that contains beet juice along with a mix of other vegetable nitrate sources, try R.W. Knudsen Very Veggie low-sodium juice.

Sun-Made Speed

            This isn’t a grapevine rumor:  Raisins provide the same cardio boost as energy gels do.  When San Diego State scientists had cyclists down 3.5 ounces of raisins or a similarly carb-packed gel before training, they found that both enhanced performance equally.  “Raisins, however, also deliver antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins,” says the study author, Mark Kern, Ph.D.  And at a fifth the cost of gels, raisins also help keep you wallet full.