The Big O – Omega 3

Treading on the fitness path doesn’t necessarily mean perceiving meats only through “lean” rimmed glasses. There is more use to a meat diet that benefits your workout regime. I’m talking about the Big O.

We’ve all heard of Omega-3 fatty acid and how it is beneficial to the body. But, I must shy away from it if I need to be fit, you might think. Well, think again. Omega-3 is the fat you ought to be best friends with especially if you’re a sportsperson or working out to stay fit.

How Omega-3 benefits fitness 

Weight loss:

It’s a fat that burns fat. It helps boost the fat metabolism in the body by increasing the burning of glucose resulting in less fat being stored in the body.

Muscle strength, Muscle gain and Neuromuscular function:

It increases protein synthesis resulting in muscle gain. Omega-3 present in nerve endings and muscle cell membranes increases brain and muscle function, thereby boosting the cognitive function imperative for athletes.

Bone health:

If you are into contact sports like basketball or hockey or intense training, Omega-3 is your best bet to avoid bone injuries as it prevents brittle bones by increasing calcium absorption.

Muscle recovery:

“Feel the burn” is a common mantra in fitness circles and I’m here to tell you that you could reduce that crippling, painful, intense burn and pain you feel after workouts. Omega-3 is essential to battle exercise-related muscle damage and inflammation by increasing the flow of oxygen to the muscles, relieving tenderness in joints and preventing tissue degradation, thus, making workouts easier and less painful and enabling you to recovery faster.

Boosts immunity:

Exercise-induced stress can result in the suppression of the immune system forming undesired free radicals in the body. Omega-3 acts as a regulator tackling exercise-induced stress effectively.

Heart and respiratory health:

Omega-3 increases cardio-vascular health which is key for intense training. It also helps increase the oxygen absorption in muscles thereby increasing the overall energy in the body, and deters inflammation in the respiratory system due to exercising – exercise-induced asthma. You therefore, breathe more efficiently and effectively with Omega-3 in your diet and by extension work out more effectively.

So, it has been established that Omega-3 is your workout pal, assuming I’ve convinced you. If you aren’t yet, then we need to talk one-on-one my friend.

Now how do you get some in your diet? I’m positive Omega-3 brings back flashbacks of our mothers giving us fish oil supplement pills during school days which we ingested carefully lest we bite it. Supplements are never the answer when you have naturally occurring Omega-3 in seafood.

Salmon, Red snapper, Mackerel, Tuna, Sea bass, Tilapia and even shellfish like Lobster and Prawns are some of the Omega-3 rich seafood you need to start incorporating into your diet.

So, let the big O complement your workout. Remember…get fat to get fit!