As noted in our initial installment of the role of nutrition and supplements in hastening and enhancing recovery from exercise series, it is generally understood that whether you are seeking to improve your performance in a particular sport or athletic endeavor or simply interested in improving your physical fitness level, you must engage in regular and progressively intense bouts of exercise, or training. What is sometimes overlooked, however, is that the degree to which an individual can adequately recover from exercise is a crucial factor in determining ultimate success. Simply put, the quicker you recover, the harder – and more frequently – you can train. And the harder you train, the better you can ultimately perform.

During exercise or any strenuous physical activity, there are a number of physiological, metabolic and neurological changes that occur. Among these are:

*Damage to muscle tissue

*Depletion of glycogen and glucose stores in the body

*Stress and damage to connective tissue and joints (ankles, knees, hips, low back, shoulders, wrists, elbows)

*Alteration in hormone levels

*Dehydration, with possible resultant electrolyte imbalance

*A shift to a catabolic ‘environment’ in the body

*Decreased immune system response

Failure to establish such proper recovery can not only block you from attaining your personal fitness/athletic goals but can lead to overtraining, burnout, injury and even illness.

Knowledge is power, and so our intent with this series is to give you a more in-depth look at how nutrition and sports supplements can enhance your sports/athletic performance, improve your level of physical fitness, and hasten the recovery. In this installment we’re gong to briefly examine the issue stress and damage to connective tissue and joints and how it pertains to recovery from exercise.

Exercise is absolutely necessary for the health and integrity of the entire musculoskeletal structure of the body, including connective tissue (tendons, ligaments and articular cartilage). However, repeated bouts of strenuous exercise and/or competitive sports competition place stress on both muscles and connective tissue.

The role of connective tissue stress and trauma is often overlooked, or under rated, when discussing recovery from physical exertion or training. Without adequate repair of these tissues, recovery from such exercise and sports competition will be impaired, leading to loss of performance and an increased possibility of injury.

Connective tissue injury, or trauma, usually involves damage to the structural components. The most common category of damage is ‘overuse’ injury, as a result of repetitive movement and/or chronic overloading. Inflammation, pain and stiffness are symptoms of both chronic and acute connective tissue trauma.

When formulating Naturally Juic’d, we paid particular attention to the all too often overlooked role of joint and connective tissue stress and the need for repair. To this end we included two particular substances that have been proven to be of aid in combating joint and connective tissue pain and degradation – Glucosamine and Methylsulfonylmethane.

Glucosamine is a form of amino sugar that is believed to play a role in cartilage formation and repair. Studies have shown glucosamine to relief joint pain and pain of osteoarthritis (OA) at a level similar to that of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is used to treat joint pain and osteoarthritis.

Together, MSM and Glucosamine have proven extremely effective – so much so that we have received numerous unsolicited testimonials from people who tell us that since taking Naturally Juic’d they have experienced a decrease – and in numerous cases, complete cessation – of joint and connective tissue pain.

In our opinion, the best single post workout recovery product on the market today is Naturally Juic’d, which was formulated specifically for the drug free trainee and athlete and contains literally everything needed for optimum sports supplementation, including to enhance recovery.

For more information on Naturally Juic’d, visit our online store.

Next month we’ll continue exploring the role of nutrition and supplements in the process of hastening and enhancing recovery from exercise.

Arley Vest