My Personal Experience with Coconut Water: A Cardio Work Out with Coconut Water instead of Protein Powder
Today I decided to try my cardio training combined with a can of Coconut Essence instead of protein powder and milk due to my desire to lose 2 - 3 kilos. I was also curious to see whether coconut water actually assisted with physical activity or whether it offers the same benefits as drinking water.
I started off by drinking half a can before my work out and then the remainder of the can within 10 minutes of completing my 1 hour work out.
The taste of Coconut Essence before the work out was refreshing yet surprisingly motivating as the fresh taste of the coconut water hit my taste buds quickly while slowly removing the thoughts in my mind of being tired from the night before.
As soon as I got into the gym I was in the zone and started easily on the treadmill for 5 minutes to work up a sweat and then moved into stretching exercises to increase blood flow throughout my body. After stretching I completed a few ab exercises and to my amazement managed to nearly double my usual number of repetitions on the ab machines, all while my mind was still in the zone and ready to assist in achieving the best results during the end of the exercises. However I did notice after completing 2 sets rather quickly I was rushing into the 3rd when I usually have more of a break between sets.
Tip: Be careful to not rush your sets, this is the first time I felt I had too much urgency to get through the sets quickly possibly because the coconut water had me pumped up!
After a few different ab exercises I was still feeling rather good and not fatigued at all with my throat not dry at all (usually feels dry after half an hour) although I was taking regular water breaks too. The next exercises to test my endurance on was the cross trainer for 10 minutes at a steady pace although I did feel slightly fatigued afterwards. At this point I took a 5 minute break.
Next up I proceeded to run on the treadmill with different speed settings for around 20 minutes and had enough energy and motivation to attempt interval running (different speeds for different periods of time) to really see how much I could take before I felt exhausted or out of breath. After 15 minutes I felt slightly worn out but was remarkably impressed at my endurance as my breathing was right and I managed to run more than I ever have.
I'll definitely be stretching my chest muscles out and drinking coconut water in the future before a cardio session as I certainly felt there were benefits from doing both of these! At this point and knew I had been working out for an hour non-stop so I called it a night.
Post work out after arriving back at home I felt good (not lethargic for a change!) so I finished the remaining Coconut Essence which tasted even better after the work out! The 520ml can really made the difference as it would have been disappointing to have had any lesser quantity although if I was drinking other coconut waters I would probably need to drink one before my work out and one afterwards to reap the full benefits. Coconut Essence is deliciously sweet and an excellent choice for cardiovascular work outs that require endurance, concentration and hydration.
After finishing the large can of Coconut Essence I slowly but surely begin to feel fatigued and my body slowed down after around 45 minutes although my mind remained active and alive with no mental signs of tiredness or drowsiness. Usually I feel lethargic after a workout but drinking coconut water certainly helped to avoid feeling dizzy and lethargic during and after the work out.
My verdict: Coconut water definitely offers benefits for cardio exercises with lots of repetitions.
www.coconutwateraustralia.com.au/benefits-of-coconut-water