“Decadent Treat” Makes Exercise EASY?

This strange trick boosts your workouts

Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. This is Newton’s first law of physics. 

And if you’re a couch potato— or if it’s been forever since you’ve exercised — you know only too well how true this is. 

Sometimes getting moving is the hardest part to starting a new exercise routine. 

And that makes sense.  

If it’s been a while since you’ve exercised, those first few days and weeks can be rough. 

Your muscles are SCREAMING at you, and it can feel like you can’t catch your breath. These are all major reasons why many folks quit before they really get started. 

Well believe it or not, one “decadent treat” can help you with that. 

Believe it or not, chocolate – specifically cocoa powder and dark chocolate – contain a bioactive compound called cocoa flavanols that have remarkable health benefits. 

One of the key benefits is its impact on your blood vessels.  

Flavanols help your blood vessels dilate, which boosts blood flow, reduces blood pressure, and helps prevent blood clots. 

It even helps prevent memory decline by boosting blood flow to your brain. 

Essentially, boosting blood flow can help every area of your body — and yes, it can even help you exercise! 

Researchers studied a group of sedentary adults from 40-60 years old.  

They were put through a serious of trials using an exercise bike for 5 weeks prior to receiving a cocoa supplement.  

Then they were given 400 mg of a cocoa flavanol supplement or a placebo for seven days, after which they went through the series of cycle tests again. 

The results showed that the cocoa flavanols contributed to faster oxygen uptake kinetics. In other words, it allowed more oxygen to flood your body, which makes you become less winded. 

This boosts your exercise tolerance.  

I wouldn’t recommend eating straight chocolate to achieve these benefits. While you’ll be getting small amounts of the cocoa flavanols, you’d need much more to experience a benefit like this. 

So yes, eat chocolate and other foods high in flavanols — like green tea, fruit, and vegetables. 

But for the benefits seen in this study, consider supplementing with cocoa flavanols. 

It’s amazing that something as simple as chocolate could help you put the second part of Newton’s law into practice: 

Objects in motion stay in motion. 

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.

P.S. Luckily this isn’t the only way to boost your workouts. Go here to learn another easy way to SUPERCHARGE your workouts.