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Energy with honey

honey water and cycling

Good afternoon bees! How are you doing? We’ve had a seriously buzzy week since Dragon’s Den, thanks for all the comments on our, erm, colourful beekeeping suits ! (If you missed it, it’s still available on BBC iPlayer Series 14, episode 12!). Yesterday we decided to take a break from The Hive and escape on our bicycles. There’s nothing like some fresh air to clear the head! With honey porridge to fuel us up and a couple of Just Bees in our bottle cages, it got us thinking about just how awesome honey is as a natural source of energy, in fact loads of athletes swear by it for their fitness regimes! But why? Blogger Bee has done some digging to find out the secrets behind the golden energy source…    

Tell me why honey is great for exercise!

The science: 

We all know that when you exercise, you get tired. Nothing new there. This is because your body depletes its carbohydrate (energy) stores, lowering your blood glucose (sugar) levels. So it’s vital to ensure you’ve fuelled up before exercising, and to replenish during and post work out. There are lots of ways you can do this, from complex carbohydrates which release energy really slowly to 100% glucose which is an instant energy boost.

Honey is a great choice for an energy fix, because (1) it is completely natural (made by bees!) – so it contains some nutrients too and (2) honey has a lower GI (Glycaemic Index) than standard sugar which means the energy is released more slowly and you avoid the blood sugar spikes. We are often told by parents they prefer to give their kids honey for this reason – as it avoids them bouncing off the walls!!

There are studies to show how honey (vs sugar) can help with both speed and stamina and athletes such as Chris Hoy and Novak Djokovic both give the sweet stuff the nod as part of their training regimes. Hey, apparently, the Romans even quaffed jugs of the stuff before they went into battle!! …unfortunately Novak and Julius Caesar were busy too busy to comment, but we did find 2 interesting (and extremely inspiring) sports starts and honey lovers to profile instead…

Robert Marchand

World record speed for 14 miles (over 105 years old category!!)

Robert Marchand cycling

Robert Marchand is a 105-year-old cycling miracle (yes we said 105 bees!!!). In January 2017, he broke his own record (set in 2014 in the over-100s category) by cycling 14 miles in one hour!

So how does Robert stay fit? Robert claims that he’s a simple man. He doesn’t smoke, only drinks the occasional glass of wine, gets plenty of sleep, enjoys regular exercise, and consumes plenty of fruit and vegetables.  Importantly thought, Robert’s training secret:  "With doping I could have ridden faster," Marchand joked. "But there is no doping. I only have water with some honey in my bottle here."

There’s hope for us yet, bees!

Ken Buckley

British land speed record holder on a bicycle

Ken Buckley world record holder

In 2016 Ken Buckley as part of the University of Liverpool's Arion2 Project, became the British land speed record holder for human powered vehicles, cycling at a whopping 76.59mph! Yes, that’s just leg power! 

Just Bee sponsored wizz kid Ken in his record breaking race. In our interview with him, he revealed he revealed he regularly uses honey (instead of refined sugars) and that his Dad is a beekeeper too! “Honey is far healthier because it’s all natural…I make a recovery smoothie with strawberries and honey, which I drink after training”.

Above is a photo of Ken before his race – apparently, Apple & Ginger Just Bee is his favourite! You can learn more about Ken in our blog

OK, so hopefully we have convinced you that honey is a great natural energy source! Here are some of our favourite ways to consume honey for exercise:

  • Just Bee Honey Water (of course!)
  • Honey sachets = a natural sports gel (perfect for cycling or running)
  • Honey porridge (see recipes here)
  • Pre/post workout protein shakes sweetened with honey
  • Honey and banana oats bars made with honey (see recipe here) 

Before we go, we wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who’s been in touch over the past week, we’re unBEElievably grateful for all the support after The Den appearance! If you entered the Dragons Den competition we will be emailing you all this week and revealing the winners! Get in touch @JustBeeDrinks or email thehive@justbeedrinks.co.uk - we love to hear about from you, especially if it involves bees or honey !

Until next week,

Blogger Bee x

 

 

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