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Method 2: Reducing Lactic Acid Through Your Diet
1. Increase your magnesium intake. The mineral magnesium is essential for proper energy production within the body. Healthy magnesium levels will help the body deliver energy to the muscles while exercising, thus limiting the buildup of lactic acid. Therefore, you should make an effort to increase your daily magnesium intake, preferably through your diet.
It is also possible to increase magnesium intake through supplements; however, with a healthy diet rich in the food sources described above, this should not be necessary.
Tip: Vegetables like Swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens and green beans, legumes like navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans and lima beans, and seeds such as pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are all excellent sources of magnesium. Tofu—especially nigari tofu—is particularly rich in magnesium.
2. Eat foods rich in fatty acids. A healthy intake of foods rich in fatty acids helps the body to break down glucose, a process which is essential for normal energy production. This can help to limit the body's need for lactic acid during a tough workout and keep you going for longer.
Get essential fatty acids from cold water fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel, from nuts and seeds like walnuts and flaxseed, and from plant oils such as corn oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil.
Fatty acids also work to reduce inflammation. This may lessen muscle soreness in the days following a tough workout.
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3. Eat foods containing B vitamins. B vitamins are useful in transporting glucose around the body, which helps to fuel the muscles during a workout, thus reducing the need for lactic acid.
Foods that contain high quantities of B vitamins include leafy green vegetables, cereals, peas and beans, along with protein-rich foods such as fish, beef, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
Foods high in B vitamins also help to replenish the body with other nutrients that are lost during intense exercise.
Recognizing Lactic Acid Build-Up
4. Notice the burning sensation in your muscles caused by lactic acid. When you work out, your body normally relies on stored glucose and the oxygen you breathe to fuel your body. However, a hard workout can push your body too far too fast, making it hard for your oxygen and glucose stores to keep up. Your body then releases lactic acid to fuel your body, which is called going into an anaerobic state.
Lactic acid is also called lactate.
Your body can only continue in this anaerobic state for so long. You'll naturally feel fatigued as you reach your limit.
5. Recognize that lactic acid is useful for your body in most cases. Lactic acid naturally results when your body converts glucose to energy during exercise. It actually allows your body to absorb and use this energy. However, it can become a problem if you push yourself too hard for too long. In most cases, the effects will go away on their own.
It's possible for too much lactic acid to cause lactic acidosis, but this is not a common condition.
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6. Watch for symptoms of harmful lactic acid buildup. While it's not usually a concern if the lactic acid builds up as a result of working out, lactic acidosis can happen. If you recognize symptoms of this condition, talk to your medical provider. Do not attempt to diagnose yourself. These are the symptoms of lactic acidosis:
Feeling disoriented
General weakness
Yellowing of the skin
Yellowing of your eyes
Breathing issues, such as shallow or rapid breathing
Rapid heart rate
Pain or cramping in your muscles
Abdominal pain and discomfort
Fatigue
Headaches
Appetite problems
Diarrhea, nausea, and/or vomiting
7. Avoid associating lactic acid with muscle soreness post-workout. Lactic acid is often wrongly accused of being responsible for the post-workout muscle soreness experienced 1 to 3 days after a hard workout. However, new research shows that lactic acid (which operates as a temporary fuel source during intense physical activity) leaves your system within an hour of the end of a workout, so it cannot be responsible for the pain felt days later.
The latest theory suggests that this muscle pain—also known as delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS—is the result of damage to the muscle cells during intense exercise. This causes inflammation, swelling, and tenderness as the muscles repair themselves.
Lactic acid actually works as a buffer against hydrogen ions.
Tip: In order to reduce muscle soreness after a workout, it is necessary to do a proper warm-up before exercising, as well as cool-down exercises after your workout. This wakes up the muscles and prepares them for physical activity. It is also important to avoid pushing yourself past your physical limit and to build up your workouts gradually instead.
In this method, I explained how to recognize and reduce lactic acid accumulation through nutrition.
Artemus Vazhui