Delicious Foods to Heal Exercise Soreness
Let's talk about muscle soreness, pomegranates, and blueberries.
Like many women, I wanted to get 2023 started off on a positive health note. I have been increasing my weight training and with the increase in weights, I was getting a little sore.
While I accept a small amount of soreness 24 hours after my weight training, 48 hours of post-workout soreness means I overdid it. I do, however, want to do all I can to build muscle and avoid injury. So I looked in to what I could eat, or drink, post workout.
My new go-to post-weight training drink is pomegranate juice. It has been shown to reduce oxidative stress, which is basically reducing inflammation. And it is tasty. If you don't like pomegranate juice, an alternative would be to eat blueberries. Blueberries and pomegranates are both superfruits. The benefits of these fruits are extensive, including lowering blood lipid levels and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Anti-inflammatory foods are always better than anti-inflammatory medications.
And right along these lines, let's talk about reducing stress, which also contributes to chronic disease and increases oxidative stress.
I recently came across this 60-second meditation tool to help ease your mind:
easy-to-use stress-reducing tool.
It is from a website called Pixel Thoughts. Put your stressful thought in the circle and watch your thought shrink into the universe. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Of course, it is not for everyone, but with some of life's smaller annoyances, it can help put your thoughts in perspective.
Thank you to all who have been sending me articles. The NY Times has really had my back recently with this article, You're Never Too Old for Yoga, and The Guardian as well, with Six lifestyle choices to slow memory decline named in 10-year study The takeaways: a healthy diet; regular exercise; active social contact; cognitive activity; non-smoking; and not drinking alcohol are key to living well. None of this should surprise any of you in the Strong Women community.
Keep the good stuff coming!
Andrea Trombley PT, DPT
PS - If you already completed a Strong Women program and want to get back to a regular routine, reply to this email me and I will send you the membership link.
Reference
Canals-Garzón, C., Guisado-Barrilao, R., Martínez-García, D., Chirosa-Ríos, I. J., Jerez-Mayorga, D., & Guisado-Requena, I. M. (2022). Effect of Antioxidant Supplementation on Markers of Oxidative Stress and Muscle Damage after Strength Exercise: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3), 1803. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031803