Spice Up Your Training - 5 Spices to Increase Your Performance
Keeping your body in peak performance is paramount and always at the forefront of your wellness regime.
The energy we get from food helps our body to reduce inflammation and fight disease which allows us to continue to develop power and speed through our training. This energy provides wonderful physical and mental benefits.
Here are 5 spices to add to your weekly meal preparation that add not only more flavour but also the secret ingredient to super-boost your training. Developed in partnership with a leading nutritionist.
Turmeric
Turmeric is renowned for its healing properties to treat inflammation ailments like arthritis, painful joints and has even alleviated fatigue for some too (1).
So, with the average active person in mind, adding turmeric to your meals may give your body the immune system boost needed to help fight off some of the stresses associated with the demands of training and your workload.
Buying dried turmeric or grating fresh turmeric into your meals is your choice but just be certain to “activate” the antioxidant “curcumin” by adding at least ¼ tsp of black pepper alongside the turmeric (dried or fresh). Otherwise your efforts may not result in your desired outcome as the “curcumin” element may not be activated for the potential health benefits.
Ginger
The root (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh or dried into a powder, in oil form or as a juice.
Reported health benefits of ginger include relieving nausea, relieving loss of appetite, relieving motion sickness and relieving general aches and pains.
Freshly grated ginger added to your meals may help reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), if taken daily at least 1 week before an event. Aim to use 1 ½ inches (2g) of freshly grated ginger daily (2).
Cayenne Pepper
Chili pepper, paprika, tabasco are also known as cayenne, which is typically used as a spicy flavour enhancement for food.
Cayenne pepper can act as a metabolism booster either in oil or cream form or when chopped into your favourite dishes to add that bit of fiery spice (3).
Liquorice
There are many positive attributes of liquorice that build-up to great gains for athletes as liquorice is an anti-inflammatory, a digestive aid and an antioxidant (4).
You can use liquorice in the form of tea or grate the root into a powder to add to dishes.
Cinnamon
You may not associate cinnamon with improving your athletic performance but if you knew all the benefits then you would definitely change your mind.
Cinnamon is known to be an anti-inflammatory to help reduce pain and soreness which is helpful with any physical activity(5).
Research also points to improved cognitive function and improved visual-motor responses which can only be very positive for sports lovers.
With all this in mind, we’re sure your shopping list will now include some turmeric, ginger, cayenne pepper, liquorice and cinnamon. While cooking up these delicious meals, make sure to wear your Slendertone to boost your training even more. Happy Cooking!
Reference
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25647661
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4715415/
- https://www.epainassist.com/diet-and-nutrition/15-medical-uses-of-cayenne-pepper
- https://www.muscleandstrength.com/supplements/ingredients/licorice-root.html
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon
