Iron - Eat It to Pump It!

Whether your goal is to be an Ironman (or Irongirl!), improve your overall fitness, or increase the size and/or amount of muscle, you will need to start from the inside by making your cells more powerful. You do this by eating iron-rich foods; iron is the most plentiful and powerful mineral in your blood, giving it that rich, red color (in the form of hemoglobin); it's primary purpose is to send oxygen to all of your cells, including your muscles and heart. When you have oxygen-rich blood, your energy levels are increased, you have a healthy immune system, and you grow stronger physically. While most people are not deficient in iron, strenuous exercise and heavy sweating contribute to loss of iron, and if your stores are low due to inadequate intake, you will feel tired and fatigue easily. There are several ways to lose iron, but for athletes, one of the primary ways is through the bottom of your feet during a long run. It's important to replenish iron by eating red meat, primarily, along with dark, green vegetables, and fortified cereals. (Actually, liver is the number one source, but it's so yucky...!) By adding citrus fruits to your meal, you will increase the absorption of iron by 30%; calcium, on the other hand, interferes with absorption, so you want to limit the amount of milk or other dairy you eat or drink at the same meal. Iron supplements are poorly absorbed, and interfere with the absorption of a lot of other nutrients, so make sure your daily vitamin is iron-free. By eating a diet rich in iron, and working your muscles to any degree to which they feel resistance (meaning, you don't have to bench 300 pounds!!) you will have larger and stronger muscles - you'll feel like an Iron Girl! Melissa