Football and Agriculture Join Forces in Spain To Promote Healthy Living
The Royal Spanish Football Federation and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have joined forces in a two-year agreement to promote the values of food, sports and gastronomy. According to a report in Olive Oil Times, the initiative is part of the Spanish Food strategy developed by the ministry to promote a healthy lifestyle linked to the Mediterranean diet.
The strategy states: “The Mediterranean Diet is not just a nutritional model but a lifestyle, a philosophy based on a way of eating, cooking food, to share it and to enjoy our environment.”
Numerous studies have provided evidence that the Mediterranean diet contains compounds, or antioxidants, that enhance athletic performance, compared with the Western diet.
Why is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Important For Athletic Performance?
The polyphenols in Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil act as an antioxidant which means that these compounds minimize free radicals in the body. The antioxidants affect the human health in various way from improving body functions and digestions to skincare. The antioxidants can fight off cell damage in the body and enhance the body’s immunity to fight off diseases.
Polyphenols furnish the immune system, protect us from heart diseases and display anticancer activity by acting, essentially, as free radicals traps.
They can help prevent cellular damage from free radicals that occur with pollution, smoking, eating rancid foods, and as a by-product of normal metabolism.
According to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, adhering to the Mediterranean diet improves athletic performance.
This growing bank of evidence linking nutrition and athletic performance led the Ministry to seek a partnership with the Spanish Football Federation.
Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil Helps With Exercise
NHS Choices calls exercise a miracle cure. ‘It’s free, easy to take, works immediately and you don’t need a prescription. It can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50 per cent.’
What’s more, exercise has been proven to boost mood and strengthen mental wellbeing. According to Stephen Buckley of mental health charity Mind: ‘Research shows outdoor exercise such as running can be as effective as antidepressants in treating mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Getting outdoors for a short run or walk can provide a real boost to wellbeing’.
«Νοῦς ὑγιής ἐν σώματι ὑγιεῖ». That’s the ancient Greek saying which means “a healthy mind in a healthy body” and underlines the necessity for keeping both your mind and body in shape. Greece has a great tradition in sports, considering they were the ones who introduced The Olympic Games. They also provide a large vat of Extra Virgin Olive Oil The Greeks enjoyed their exercise and their Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
That is why the winners of the first Olympic Games, held in 776 BC were crowned with branches of the sacred olive trees. The winners of the Great Panathinea, a sports event held in Athens in honour of the goddess Athena were also gifted with largely decorated amphoras filled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Ancient Greece & Excercise
The EVOO was produced from specific olive trees growing on the famous rock of the Acropolis. Those trees were considered sacred and the value of the olive oil, being symbolic and pecuniary was extremely high, as no one else but the winners could possess it. Even nowadays, Marathon winners in the Olympic Games, are crowned with olive branches, continuing a tradition of 3000 years.
However, the olive trees and oil did not have only symbolic and pecuniary significance. The ancient athletes also applied olive oil on their skin before a competition to protect their muscles and they regularly consumed pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Today, EVOO remains as beneficial to today’s athlete as ever and the Mediterranean diet. This is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. As the only source of fat, is the ideal food model. In fact, good nutrition is an integral part of training which improves the mental well-being and ensures a better performance.
Energy boost From Excercise
To start with, the consumption of olive oil provides energy and fats essential to athletes. Fats included are saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and trans-fat. Unsaturated fats are the best choice for athletes. EVOO helps lower cholesterol levels and contributes to heart health and building bones. Mostly made up of mostly monounsaturated fatty acids. This is in the form of oleic acid, a few saturated fats and some polyunsaturated fats. Examaples of these are linoleic acid.
At its most basic, olive oil provides energy, something athletes never want to be without. Compared to the sedentary who should consume no more than 15% of their calories from fat, athletes need anywhere from 20%-30%. This is true for both endurance and high-intensity sports. Fat is the body’s main fuel during low-intensity lengthy endeavours like triathlons and marathons. But it’s just as necessary for high-intensity sports too. Carbohydrates may be the central fuel for high-intensity activities but without fat, carbohydrate energy cannot be released.
Muscle recovery
Muscles have a hard time during athletic training and need immediate recovery, which includes repair, strengthening and muscle building. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is better than other fat sources in helping cells absorb cholesterol and convert it to testosterone. This is critical to the body’s muscle building process. Moreover, its combination of oleic acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids work together to build bone tissue and allow the body to regenerate.
If you can exercise don’t just a few times a week, but every day. Movement is key to a healthy life. Exercising daily can improve your health in many ways. It can help increase your life span, lower your risk of diseases, help you develop higher bone density, and lose weight.
In conclusion one simple thing you can do is, especially for close distances, choose walking over riding, driving or taking transportation. You can climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. You can pick exercises that are easy to do at home or outside that you enjoy. When you enjoy the physically activities you choose for yourself, most likely you’ll enjoy them and naturally want to do them. Exercise is about being healthy and having fun at the same time. Also, mixing up your exercises will keep them interesting.
