Monday, June 2, 2008

Eat Sandia, Train Harder

I ran into this post about how watermelon contains citrulline which can help reduce muscle fatigue in athletes.

That's funny.

We finished two giant watermelons right after training yesterday. They were delicious and refreshing. And they can even help us train harder! Who knew watermelon is this good for you?

3 comments:

  1. That must be why Shifu kept on saying to us (melon eatin' crew) to train harder. He knows it's for our own good!

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  2. Watermelon Trivia:

    * With an open palm, slap the watermelon. A high-pitched tone indicates green or under-ripe product. A dull sound or dead thud indicates an over-ripe melon. A deep-pitched tone indicates a melon that is ripe. Slap a number of melons one after the other and you will be able to hear the differences in tone.

    * Watermelon, considered one of America's favorite fruits, is really a vegetable (Citrullus lanatus). Cousin to the cucumber and kin to the gourd, watermelons can range in size from 7 to 100 pounds.

    * The world record for the largest watermelon grown is 255 pounds, grown by Vernon Conrad of Bixby, Oklahoma.

    * The world record for watermelon seed-spitting is 66'11", held by Jack Dietz of Chicago.

    * Americans purchase and consume about 3 billion pounds of watermelon annually.

    * Historians say watermelons first grew in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. They were a source of water for thirsty traders, who began to sell the seeds in cities along the ancient Mediterranean trade routes.

    * Cultivation of watermelon spread throughout Africa and, by the 1600s, watermelon made its way to Great Britain, Spain, China and beyond. Watermelon arrived in North America courtesy of European colonists and African slaves.

    * Russians make beer out of watermelon juice.

    * During the Civil War, the Confederate Army boiled down watermelons as a source of sugar and molasses.

    * Melons may be kept at room temperature, un-cut, for about two weeks. Store whole melons at 50-60°F. Cut melons should be wrapped and stored at 40-50°F.

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  3. Heng Zhou showed us that watermelon sound when we picked them yesterday.

    Genius!

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