When hitting the weights in the gym, I often have curious, sweaty people walking up to me asking what’s in my juice bottle. When my bottle is red with beet juice I say, “Yak blood,” and they believe me because body builders are a strange breed who will drink just about any brew to get monster muscles. There is nothing better than drinking freshly made juice while working out. The natural sugars, compounded with vitamins and minerals, act as a delivery system to the cells. Add some celery and every mouthful will be replenishing your electrolytes far more effectively than any so-called power drink. You don’t want to get me started on what I think about Gatorade. Drinking fresh juice assists in removing lactic acid buildup in the muscles, allowing a more rigorous workout. Also, exercise opens a window of opportunity because, while you’re sweating up those dumbbells or running the treadmill, the body is better able to uptake the nutrients in the juice.
Another great bonus: since your juicer has done the work of removing the nutrients from the fibers, this eliminates the need for your digestive system to work, which allows all of your energy resources to go toward the workout.
Research has shown that within a 30-minute period after weight training, the body is able to uptake protein into the muscles more efficiently, so a great trick is to add a scoop of protein powder to fresh fruit juice, e.g. cantaloupe juice, as an after-workout drink. The natural sugars in the juice will improve protein uptake.