exercise becomes less effective. This was made evident in a
University of Valencia trial in which high doses of an
antioxidant, vitamin C, were given to athletes just prior to
training. Not only was their performance negatively affected
as a result, but many of the aforementioned benefits of
exercise—increasing antioxidant coverage and
mitochondrial biogenesis—were blocked.^10
Studies like this highlight a potential negative effect of
high-dose vitamin supplementation, which can
indiscriminately block the stimulus our bodies need to grow
stronger. For this reason, I do not recommend excessive
vitamin supplements—instead, a wiser approach is to
naturally stimulate the body’s own, far more potent
antioxidant compounds with exercise and foods such as
avocados, berries, kale, broccoli, and dark chocolate
(conveniently, all qualifying Genius Foods).
How to Get the Most out of Exercise
As you can see, both aerobic and anaerobic exercise
provide unique benefits to the brain and body that extend
well beyond calories burned. But how much effort do you
need to put in for maximum benefit? Surprisingly, a lot less
than you would expect. The latest research suggests our
aerobic workouts should be longer and slower, while our
anaerobic workouts should be shorter and more intense.
What we want to definitely avoid is “chronic cardio,” or
sustained high-output training, such as a hard forty-five-
minute run multiple times per week. There is a peak point