When it comes to health and fitness is there anything Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) can’t do? ACV is renowned for some of its naturally occurring ingredients such as acetic acid, potassium, magnesium, probiotics and enzymes. These enable ACV to help the body get rid of toxins and bacteria, without any side effects. ACV consists of numerous benefits that a person can achieve in daily cleaning routines, to improvement in health, to making delicious meals. Basically it naturally has all the properties of a detox diet.

Apple Cider Vinegar is great news for your whole body from the inside and out. It is not only beneficial for your hair, skin, nails but it also improves your health from the inside which is mainly caused by inflammation. ACV helps you to control weight, manages your blood sugar level and helps to absorb nutrients and minerals. It also reduces bloating and improves digestion, providing an athlete with a complete detox diet.
If you aren’t already, you should be considering ACV as your pre or post workout drink by now. There cannot be a better drink for athletes and especially for runners, it’s a powerful detox drink that’s great for the entire body. As it improves overall wellness from curing common colds, to improving blood glucose levels, to cholesterol and weight management.

Whether you are a runner, a weight trainer or you are just keen on keeping your body performing at optimum level. The capacity of ACV to improve stamina capacity or to keep blood glucose levels stable is pretty tempting.

Just two teaspoons of ACV a day with warm water can help an athlete overcome exhaustion, wash out lactic acid and reduce inflammation.

Here are some of the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for fitness enthusiasts and athletes:

Prevents Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps, we all know the ache of an excruciating muscle cramp whether we exercise or not and even if we aren’t athletes. Muscle cramping occurs mostly due to exhaustion for normal people but for an athlete it’s not always due to this. It can also be a sign of electrolyte imbalance due to calcium, magnesium and potassium deficiency and also dehydration; hence, unnecessary stress causes your muscles to cramp during exercise. 

A shot of ACV before exercising or running can prevent gastrointestinal cramps and muscle cramps by balancing your electrolytes.

Anecdotal evidence from athletes who in-take a daily dose of Apple Cider Vinegar swear that they experience fewer cramps, lesser fatigue, shorter recovery times and overall less inflammation. Historically a common remedy for muscle cramps is mixing ACV with warm water and then soaking it with a cloth to apply it to the affected area, as mentioned in: Benefits of Soaking Feet in Apple Cider Vinegar.

ACV Can Improve Athletic Performance

ACV has the ability to maintain blood sugar levels and improve stamina to keep your body performing at optimum levels. The acetic acid in Apple Cider Vinegar helps to improve the oxidative capacity of muscles to produce energy, which enhances the ability of muscles to convert carbohydrates and fats into energy.

In addition, ACV also helps athletes to improve gut bacteria. Athletes who suffer from gut issues may have an imbalance in gut bacteria and face complications recuperating from training. Apple Cider Vinegar helps break down food so that nutrients can be easily consumed by the body muscle and supports faster healing. ACV is known to improve gut bacteria, thus eliminating toxins from the body at a faster rate.

With the potential of improving digestion, maintaining healthy gut bacteria, and reducing cramps – the muscles of your legs will be able to perform better and enable an athlete to improve performance and reach fitness goals.

One way to prevent toxin build-up in your body is to take a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar as soon as you start feeling heartburn.

Energy Optimization 

The best trait of ACV is its cleaning of toxins from your gastrointestinal system which reduces the feeling of tiredness and weakness. The malic acid in Apple Cider Vinegar helps to break down fat and turn it into energy. It’s this breaking down of fat calories that has made ACV popular as a weight management agent.

The acetic acid in Apple Cider Vinegar helps to reduce appetite and cravings whilst increasing your metabolism and in-turn supports weight management. In short a much more energetic performance.

A tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in the morning will help balance your pH levels, prevent muscle cramps and increase your energy levels, so you can give your best performance.

 

Improved Sugar Levels

After having a heavy meal blood glucose levels tend to increase. As discussed in a previous article - Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies, consuming Apple Cider Vinegar after your meal causes sugar levels to be released more slowly into the blood. For athletes it’s not only the risk of increase in glucose levels but also a serious dip in glucose levels which can cause feelings of light headedness, weakness or fainting during a run or workout. Low glycogen levels could also cause fatigue and tiredness. 

A glass of ACV mixed with warm water before heading out for a workout or a long run could help you to maintain your glucose levels.

 

Helps Body Odor

After a good workout or a run, if you find yourself having a bad odor then Apple Cider Vinegar is just the thing for you. Apple Cider Vinegar consists of probiotics, thus it helps to fight bacteria. Especially if your under arms are the cause of bad odor and a breeding ground for bad bacteria. Using a little ACV on a cotton ball and applying under your arms will help kill the bacteria and control bad smell. 

An ACV Tonic for Cramp-Free Athletes: 

• 1 tablespoon of Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tablespoon of natural juice (berries, pomegranate or grape)
• 3 ounce water

Method:

Mix all ingredients together. Your power drink is ready. 

Optional add-ins: ½ teaspoon turmeric, ginger, fresh mint or cinnamon.

The health benefits of using Apple Cider Vinegar for athletes and fitness enthusiasts are undeniable. Intake of proper dosage of ACV is very important for the best and most effective performance/health advantages. Using ACV and including it in a your daily routine can considerably reduce fatigue and cramping and can lead to major improvements in health and performance.