Gassed Out / Why No Oil?

Jim and I have this saying when it comes to fitness:  "There are two types of people, bulldogs and greyhounds"  and I am a bulldog.  I am strong - much stronger than I look for my 5'4" 130lb frame.  But I am slow, and I often "gas out" on longer endurance sports.  What is "gassing out"? - difficulty breathing, face turning red, running out of steam, and the general feeling of inability to sustain whatever work-out it is that I am in the middle of.

For my entire life I just brushed this off as a trait.  I am a bulldog. 

But information received this week is giving me reason to change my point of view.  Sure, some of this may be due to genetics - but more likely than not, it's due to diet.

One of the speakers we had the fortune of hearing from this week is Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.  He discussed heart disease, he discussed the cholesterol, but what really got my attention was his lecture on the Endothelial Cells and Nitric Oxide.

Lining the inside of the blood vessels is a thin layer of cells, called the endothelial layer.  These small cells are responsible for producing nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide helps dilate the blood vessels.  Dilated blood vessels carry blood and oxygen to the major organs and to the brain when needed most (like extended workouts, climbing stairs, lifting heavy weights) and other times when increased blood flow is needed.  The folks at the Immersion Program repeatedly made note that the ability to dilate, or rather the inability is the major cause for ED (an early warning sign of heart disease)

Ok, so what does all of this have to do with diet?  Excessive oil and saturated fat damage the endothelial cells.  Damaged cells are produce less nitric oxide.  And when that happens vessels do not dilate as the should, and blood flow is decreased (to the brain and other vital organs).

The message on the endothelium was just one of many this week.  And it didn't quite sink in until this morning's weekend.  I am strong, and I am fast (in short sprints), but this morning I was regularly passed by on the 2 mile hill climb by fit vegans as they maintained a steady pace up the hill. 

Will moving to a vegan/plant perfect diet improve my endurance?  Time will tell.