Need a Boost? NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS TO INCREASE YOUR ENERGY
energy. Ingesting more than 5 grams, though, will leave you feeling bloated with a lot of stomach discomfort. Creatine powder can be found at most wellness stores. BEETROOT POWDER Beetroot powder is made from the roots of the beet plant and is rich in nitrate. Nitrate relaxes blood vessels, creating increased blood flow and oxygen delivery. This enables your body to produce energy more efficiently and maintain energy levels, making beetroot powder a great aid for endurance sports like running, soccer, and biking. In the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, a study reported that athletes could work out for 25% longer when they used beetroot powder. Fatigue didn’t set in until much later in their workout, which improved their training and performance. This spring, say goodbye to energy drinks and get the boost you need with one of these natural energy supplements.
As spring kicks off, many people will be tempted to grab a Monster, Red Bull, or Rockstar to get through the day. Energy drinks may give you a quick boost, but the high levels of caffeine and sugar can lead to migraines and increased anxiety. If over-consumed, these drinks can even lead to Type 2 diabetes. To avoid these health hazards, try out a few of these natural energy boosters instead. ASHWAGANDHA Ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub found mostly in India. As part of the Ayurveda system, an alternative medicine practice from India, it’s also known as “Indian ginseng.” The Alternative Medicine Review published a study indicating ashwagandha increases the body’s resilience to physical and mental stress by lowering
levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 28%. Ashwagandha can also help you through long workouts and the 9-to-5 grind because it may also improve brain function, including memory. You can get ashwagandha in pill form at most convenience stores around the world. CREATINE Many people don’t realize creatine is a natural energy booster because they get it mostly in processed, high- sugar energy drinks. However, in doses less than 5 grams, creatine provides impressive benefits during high-intensity activities, short-duration exercises, and sports, including football, shot put, and weightlifting. This compound is found in red meat, pork, poultry, and fish, and when consumed, it releases phosphates that give your body a quick burst of
WHY DID PIRATES WEAR EYE PATCHES? The Answer May Surprise Ye
Eye patches are as central to the pirate mythology as peg legs and buried loot. While popular culture has exaggerated the life of a pirate like sailors once exaggerated encounters with sea monsters, it does seem like quite a few pirates actually wore eye patches. While you might think they wore them to cover up wounds they sustained from crossing cutlasses in battle or accidentally scratching their eye with their hook hand, the real reason pirates wore eye patches is a lot more interesting. Storming the decks of Spanish galleys and British merchant ships was a risky venture not for the faint of heart or morally upright. Even the motliest of pirate crews knew they had to be prepared for a fight, wherever it might happen. Below deck, where the pirates hoped to find cargo holds bursting with booty, light was limited, and anyone who went down would immediately be temporarily blinded while their eyes adjusted. That was where eye patches came in handy.
It takes the human eye around 25 minutes to adjust to a dark room after being out in the sun. That meant pirates would have to fight blind below deck — unless one of their eyes was already adjusted to the dark. Eye patches were essentially ye olde night vision. When pirates moved below deck to find the ship’s treasure, they could move an eye patch from one eye to the other and be able to see anything before them. While we might have thought having an eye patch hindered a pirate’s vision, if anything, it turns out the opposite was actually true. Eye patches actually helped them raid, pillage, and plunder ships all across the seven seas. That said, even pirates with the keenest vision would give their finest rum for the comprehensive eye care services that Primary Eye Care offers. Even if you’re not planning on chasing down treasure ships anytime soon, give Primary Eye Care a call at (773) 692-6173.
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