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MATE: THE HEALTHY INFUSION
WHY IS MATE THE SPORTS DRINK PAR EXCELLENCE? IS IT BETTER THAN COFFEE AND ENERGY DRINKS?
by Max Ortiz Barrán
How are you? To the folks from Uruguay, to our South American friends around the world and especially to the people from Portugal, today I want to talk to you about "someone" who is very close to us South Americans no matter where we are, our noble companion, the one who never abandons us, the one who has always been and always will be there for us in good times and bad: MATE!
But before we get into why I think yerba mate is the best drink for those who practise sport, I want to tell you who I am and why I'm writing this blog:
My name is Maximiliano, but you can call me "Max" I'm a Uruguayan "Gurí" (boy) who life brought to this beautiful country, Portugal. As well as being Latino, an immigrant and a Peñarol fan, I'm a Personal Trainer and I'm dedicated to spreading information about fitness, and to all this we must add that I'm a "Matero de lei".
That's why I'm writing this particular blog, because I want to combine these two passions: mate and training (and yes, they will go well together).
What's more, I want to tell you that this post will have a special flavour because I'm writing it on a blog that isn't my own, a beautiful blog that belongs to my friends, who have been my "gods" for a while now, the "Gods of Mate" and Yerba, the ones who have heard my prayers when I run out, they're the ones who quickly send it to me.
I'm obviously talking about Maite and Claudio from Cebate. Without their mate it would undoubtedly be much more difficult to write this blog. And it's incredible how close to home I feel thanks to them.
That's why this entry has a special flavour, apart from the bitter taste of mate, of course.
So without further ado.
5 REASONS WHY MATE IS THE SPORTS DRINK PAR EXCELLENCE:
Increases our energy and mental alertness
Because it contains methylxanthines (hard to pronounce, isn't it?), substances that have a stimulating effect on our body, it provides us with constant energy, and unlike other stimulating drinks such as coffee or energy drinks, it's a gentle stimulation, which gradually increases with each intake, without generating nervousness, or a spike in energy and consequently the subsequent drop.
Increases muscle contractions
When we drink mate, our neurons start exchanging signals with each other more quickly, this is due to the type of caffeine it contains. Mate affects the muscles and makes them generate more contractions, thus facilitating strength training, the aim of which is based on contracting the muscle until it is fatigued.
If we have a drink that generates more muscle contractions and an activity whose objective is to contract the muscles in search of hypertrophy, strength or power: BINGO! as our Portuguese friends would say: "Como anel ao dedo".
Improves our tolerance to exercise and subsequent recovery
A study published in 2016 shows that mate improves the rate of recovery of isometric strength during the first day after eccentric exercise ("negative" phase where the muscle stretches).
The study shows that after the first 24 hours the improvements in muscle recovery promoted by mate are also notable.
It also appears that mate has a positive effect on prolonged exercise capacity, better performance in sport and subsequent recovery.
In addition, some studies have suggested that the caffeine in mate can slow down the accumulation of lactic acid during exercise, improving the body's ability to use oxygen efficiently. This can lead to better exercise tolerance and a decrease in the muscle burning sensation associated with lactic acid.
Helps you lose weight
Unlike other energy drinks, mate contains less added sugar, as well as bringing satiety and helping us to reduce hunger. Being stimulating, it generates a thermogenic effect that causes our bodies to burn more calories than usual.
On the other hand, a study revealed that mate increases GPL-1, a substance found in the metabolic pathway of Glucagon (the less famous hormone in the pancreas than insulin, which regulates glucose in the blood, but releases it rather than removing it).
In order to burn fat, our body has to remove body fat from its stores and then oxidises it through our cell's mitochondria. If glucagon is activated (as happens with LPG-1) this "pathway" is free to burn fat, unlike when insulin is in the blood.
That's why, as well as being satiating and containing no added sugars, mate increases the percentage of fat our body burns.
We recommend consuming mate before exercising if you want to prioritise fat burning.
If you decide to drink mate without exercising, you can get this benefit simply from the thermogenic and satiating effect, but it won't be the same as if you accompany it with exercise, obviously.
It doesn't increase your heart rate.
Strange, isn't it? An energiser that doesn't increase our heart rate?
Unlike coffee, mate (according to this scientific study) maintains the heart rate, so we can get the stimulating benefits without compromising our cardiovascular health.
MATE VS COFFEE VS ENERGY DRINK
Since time immemorial, coffee has been talked about as the energising drink par excellence. In recent years, the ultra-developed, hyper-connected world we live in and its tool par excellence (advertising) have positioned energy drinks as an alternative to beverages like coffee, but what place does mate have in this conversation? Let's find out:
MATE VS COFFEE:
Mate and coffee share similarities in terms of being natural stimulants due to caffeine. However, mate generally contains less caffeine per serving than a cup of coffee.
The caffeine in coffee tends to cause a quick energy boost and then a crash, while the caffeine in mate often provides sustained energy without the same jittery feeling.
MATE VS ENERGY DRINKS:
Unlike commercial energy drinks, which often contain high amounts of caffeine and added sugars, mate is a natural and less processed source of caffeine.
Energy drinks can cause spikes in energy followed by slumps, and their high sugar content and other ingredients can have negative effects on health.
IN CONCLUSION:
Our dear mate is a drink with potential health benefits due to its content of antioxidants, polyphenols, amino acids and micro-nutrients.
Drinking it regularly not only allows us to produce more physically and intellectually due to its natural caffeine, but it also helps us to improve our health by improving our immune system, deflating our bodies and preventing diseases.
Does this mean we have to drink 3 litres of mate a day? NO, like everything else in life, consuming it in moderation is good for your health, so I'm going to give you two tips from a "Matero expert" (yes! expert, this server has been drinking mate for 16 years):
1 - be careful with the temperature of the water.
2 - don't drink more than 1 litre a day (if you're just starting out).
So? Do you drink mate? What benefits do you think it brings? Are there any benefits you didn't know about?
We'll read about it below!
A special thank you to Maite and Claudio, not only for allowing me the space but for the work they do every day, bringing mate closer to these lands, spreading our culture and also making us feel closer to our roots.
Max.
MAXIMILIANO ORTIZ
CERTIFIED PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINER - IFBB-C/32790
INST. DE MUSCULACION Y ENTRENADOR PERSONAL -
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