During the cold winter months, you might find yourself dreaming of hot summer days and eating a sweet, juicy piece of watermelon after your workout at the gym.
Watermelon is the ultimate cool-down treat during the dog days of summer, and it also comes with an impressive list of benefits that can keep you healthier and happier no matter what the weather is like outside.
The next time you’re craving a snack before or after your workout at our Thornton gym, consider the following reasons why eating watermelon is a wonderful way to quench your thirst, not only in the summertime, but all year long.
Staying Hydrated After Your Gym Workout
With a name like “watermelon,” it’s no surprise that this fruit provides our bodies with some impressive hydration. Watermelon is 92% water, which every cell of your body needs at all times, and especially after a workout at the gym. Staying hydrated is essential to your health and fitness for many reasons, such as:
- Regulating body temperature
- Delivering oxygen and nutrients to cells
- Improving breathing
- Keeping organs functioning properly
- Boosting exercise performance
- Promoting weight loss
- Increasing energy levels
- Improving skin complexion
- Keeping joints lubricated
- Preventing infections and kidney damage
- Forming saliva and mucous
- Facilitating digestion
- Flushing the body of waste
- Improving mood, cognition, and sleep quality
Watermelon also provides electrolytes like potassium, an essential mineral that your body loses when you perspire. Eating watermelon is a great way to help replenish your body’s potassium after sweating it out at the gym. This can help cut down on muscle cramps, too.
Relieving Muscle Soreness After Your Gym Workout
Watermelon contains citrulline, an amino acid that’s been shown to reduce muscle soreness and improve exercise performance. One study found that regular intake of citrulline for at least 7 days boosted aerobic performance in study participants. It’s believed that citrulline increases nitric acid levels in your body. Nitric acid helps to expand blood vessels so that your heart doesn’t need to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body.
Another study showed that when athletes drank watermelon juice, they experienced less muscle soreness and a faster heart recovery compared to athletes that drank other beverages. More research is needed, but watermelon appears to be a perfect post-workout fruit.
Reducing Blood Pressure and Protecting Against Heart Disease
Researchers found in a 2012 study that watermelon extract reduced blood pressure around the ankles of middle-aged people with obesity and early hypertension. The study’s authors speculated that two antioxidants found in watermelon — L-citrulline and L-arginine — may improve artery function.
Another antioxidant found in watermelon — lycopene — is believed to protect against heart disease and heart attacks by lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, preventing oxidative damage, and reducing inflammation.
Watermelon also contains small amounts of phytosterols, plant compounds that are believed to manage low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. Reducing LDL cholesterol may help to prevent cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
And, as previously mentioned, the amino acid citrulline in watermelon may help your blood vessels expand, which lowers blood pressure.
Watermelon contains several other heart healthy vitamins and minerals including A, B6, C, magnesium, and potassium.
Protecting Your Joints
Watermelon contains a natural pigment called beta-cryptoxanthin. This pigment is believed to protect your joints from inflammation. Some studies have shown that, over time, consuming beta-cryptoxanthin could reduce your chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis.
Helping the Brain and Nervous System
Another antioxidant that watermelon contains is choline. Choline is involved in muscle movement, early brain development, the transmission of nerve impulses, learning, and memory. More research is needed, but one theory suggests that choline might help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Possibly Fighting Cancer and Diabetes
Watermelon’s beautiful red color comes from lycopene, an antioxidant. Watermelon has more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable, including tomatoes. Studies show that lycopene may help curb your risk of diabetes and some types of cancer, such as prostate and colorectal cancers. To get the most lycopene from your watermelon, choose a melon with bright red flesh. The riper the watermelon, the better! Also, seedless watermelons tend to contain more lycopene than watermelons with seeds.
Watermelon also contains cucurbitacin E, an antioxidant that might inhibit tumor growth by promoting your body’s removal (autophagy) of cancerous cells.
Helping Your Blood Sugar Levels
If you’re trying to keep your blood glucose levels on an even keel, watermelon is your friend. Glycemic load (GL) measures how quickly a food makes glucose enter your bloodstream and how much glucose it delivers per serving. GL is measured as Low (0-10), Moderate (11-19), and High (20 and above). As sweet as it tastes, watermelon’s glycemic load is only 5!
Easing Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions — including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol levels, and excess fat around the waist — that increase a person’s risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes.
In a 2019 study, 33 people who were overweight or obese consumed either 2 cups of watermelon or low-fat cookies every day for 4 weeks.
At the end of the study, the people who ate watermelon reported feeling more satisfied and less hungry compared to those who ate the cookies. In addition, after the 4 weeks, the people who ate watermelon had lower body weight, lower systolic blood pressure, higher levels of antioxidants in their blood, and an improved waist-to-hip ratio.
Participants who ate the cookies had higher levels of oxidative stress, higher blood pressure, and higher levels of body fat.
The results of this study suggest that watermelon could be a good snack choice for people with metabolic syndrome and obesity.
Improving Skin Health
Watermelon contains vitamin C, which helps your body make collagen, a protein that keeps your skin and hair strong and supple. Vitamin C also promotes wound healing and reduces the risk of age-related skin damage. Some studies have found that higher intakes of vitamin C may decrease your chances of developing dry skin and wrinkles. Watermelon also contains vitamin A which helps the body to create and repair skin cells.
Shielding You From Sun Damage
Studies suggest that eating plant pigments — like the lycopene in watermelon — can shield your skin from sun damage and might make it slightly less likely that you’ll get sunburned. This benefit is still under research, however, so make sure to keep wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher when you’re outside during the day.
Reducing Inflammation
Inflammation is a culprit behind many chronic diseases, but studies have shown that the combination of lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C in watermelon may help lower oxidative damage and inflammation in the body. Lycopene might also delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Supporting Eye Health
Watermelon contains high amounts of vitamin A – just one medium slice contains 9-11% of the vitamin A you need in a day. Vitamin A is a nutrient that helps keep your eyes healthy.
The lycopene in watermelon might also have benefits for your eyes. Lycopene’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties might help prevent and inhibit age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common eye condition that leads to blindness in older adults. Further research is needed, however.
Getting Plenty of Nutrients
As we’ve shown, watermelon is packed with beneficial compounds and nutrients. It’s also low in calories at about 46 calories per cup. One cup of raw, diced watermelon contains:
- Fiber — 0.6 grams
- Protein — 0.9 grams
- Vitamin A — 5% of the daily value (DV)
- Vitamin C — 14% of the DV
- Potassium and Magnesium — 4% of the DV
Watermelon is also rich in the amino acid citrulline. It also boasts several antioxidants including carotenoids, lycopene, cucurbitacin E, and vitamin C. Even the seeds are full of nutrients!
Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth
Are you craving a 300-calorie cup of ice cream? At just 46 calories per cup, watermelon is a low-calorie, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and sodium-free way to satisfy your sweet tooth, making it an excellent choice if you’re trying to lose weight.
Easily Adding Variety to Your Diet
One of the best benefits of watermelon? The easy, fun, and delicious ways you can add it to your diet. For example:
- Salads — Top your salad with cubed watermelon and feta cheese. Or, add watermelon and fresh mozzarella to a bed of spinach leaves and drizzle with balsamic dressing.
- Drinks and smoothies — Place diced watermelon and a few ice cubes in a blender to create a cold, refreshing drink that is perfect for rehydrating after exercising at the gym.
- Grilled — Lightly grill watermelon for 2 minutes on each side.
- Save the seeds! — Toss them with olive oil and sea salt, and then roast them in the oven for 15-20 minutes to whip up a savory snack. One ounce of watermelon seeds contains about 8 grams of protein.
Watermelon and Gym Workouts — A Winning Combination
Thanks to its high water content, impressive list of nutrients, and satisfying sweetness, watermelon is a tasty, thirst-quenching treat that can keep you healthy and strong as you work to achieve your fitness goals at AFAC gym. Whether you’re sweating it out on our cardiovascular equipment, strength training equipment, or in our fitness classes, consider bringing some watermelon along for support before and after your workout.
If you’re not a member of AFAC gym, you can learn more about how to join the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, by stopping by or giving us a call. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.
To read more articles from Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, check out our Adventure Corner blogs by clicking here.
