5. Rock Your Workout
Baking soda is actually quite popular among endurance athletes. Certain studies have shown that baking soda allows you to perform at your peak for a longer period of time, especially during high-intensity training. During this type of exercise, your muscle cells produce something called lactic acid. Lactic acid is the reason you feel a burning sensation while exercising hard. It also lowers the pH inside your cells, which causes the muscles to fatigue.
Baking soda has a high pH and can compensate somewhat for the lactic acid. This may help keep you going longer. One study found that people who ingested some baking soda before exercising went for about 4.5 minutes longer than those who didn’t. Remember that this is 4.5 minutes longer at peak exertion. It may not sound like a lot in terms of an everyday workout, but when you’re running a race, it can make all the difference.