In yet another eternal quest. . . . this time for the “perfect” recovery protocol. . . . an old new player emerged.

I was dragging along in a less than spry manner for the past couple of weeks, choosing to eschew the “take 1 DAY off for every mile completed in an event” notion for the “take 1 HOUR off for every mile completed” and started to pay the piper. Enter Cardio Plus.

Cardio Plus is from my favorite nutrition company, Standard Process. In my opinion, they have distanced themselves from the huge pack and continue to be a leader in the field of nutrition. Cardio Plus is one of their popular formulas, one that I have used with patients many, many times but never used myself.

As the name implies, it is exceptional for cardiovascular issues, immunity and respiratory problems (the heart provides electricity/energy to the lungs). Mainly it is for the heart – the muscle responsible for pushing 3000 gallons of blood through the 60,000 miles of blood vessels per day (Yes, you are reading the numbers correctly.).

As many endurance athletes know, it is not the legs that needs the recovery, it is the heart. Cardio-Plus is a special combination product containing bovine heart extract and naturally occurring Coenzyme Q10. It has been well established in scientific literature that these nutrients are important for healthy cardiovascular function. 

Bottom line — this is an outstanding formula to assist the body, particularly the heart in its recovery phase.

For me, 3 days of 9 tabs/day was the equivalent of resting (as in no physical activity) for about a 2 week period.