Got achy muscles after a hard workout in the gym? There's nothing worse than trying to power through a workout when half of your body is too stiff and sore to move!
However, eating a simple spice may be enough to deal with the pain of your achy muscles…
Tumeric = Pain-Relieving Magic
According to the
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, eating turmeric can help to ease the ache in your muscles.
It's all thanks to a compound called curcumin, one of the spice's active ingredients. In the study (see link above), 20 men were given either 1 gram of curcumin or a placebo to take once per day. 48 hours after beginning to take the placebo, they participated in a 45-minute downhill running race. The supplementation continued for 24 hours after the race.
After the supplements were taken, the researchers used MRI tests to examine muscle damage, and the participants were asked to report pain levels pre- and post-race.
The results: those who took curcumin had less muscle injury, less inflammation (a marker of over-exercise), and reduced perception of pain.
If you want to avoid pain as you work out or run, why not consider turmeric (it's great in curry, soup, and other dishes) or even a curcumin supplement? Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and protective properties, it can stop you from feeling those post-workout aches!
