Essential oils are getting a lot of attention lately. You have probably heard chatter about them from someone close to you whether it’s your sister or next door neighbor. We’re excited to share this guest blog from Jessica Budke on the best ways to incorporate essential oils into your workout.
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I will be the first person to tell you that YES, they work, and YES, they are worth the investment for so many reasons including enhancing your workout routine. Before we get into how to use essential oils before, during and after exercise, lets first understand a few important facts about essential oils.
What exactly are essential oils?
Essential oils are the “lifeblood” of a plant. They protect plants from disease, provide nutrients, and help them to grow and adapt to their surroundings. Essential Oils are very complex. They contains tons of different chemical compounds, and this is what gives each plant its unique healing attributes and characteristics.
They were man’s very first medicine- what a blessing! Today, essential oils are still used to bring health and wellness to the body – mentally, emotionally and physically!
How to use essential oils?
There are three ways to use Essential Oils: Topically, Aromatically, and by Ingestion. When using oils topically, you want to make sure to use a carrier oil on your skin first such as coconut oil or grape seed oil-until at the very least you know how your skin is going to react. When ingesting oils, please refer to the label of each oil for proper usage and instruction.
Pre-Workout
Hydration: About 30 minutes prior to any workout, it is important to increase the amount of water you drink. Try adding any of the citrus oils to your water throughout the day to enhance the flavor and make boring water that much tastier. We’re talking Lemon, Lime, Tangerine, Orange and one of my personal favorites Grapefruit oil. Just a drop added to your favorite water bottle is all you need! TIP: add a drop of Peppermint essential oil to water right before and during your workout, it will give you a extra boost of energy and it will instantly cool your body down after an intense workout like TITLE Boxing. It is also important to use a glass or stainless steel water bottle when adding oils to your water. If using plastic, the oils can draw impurities and toxins from the plastic into your water.
Workout
It is so important to remember to breathe during any workout and get into a pattern of breathing. The pre-made roller from Young Living called Breathe Again is conveniently made in a roll-on and comprised of Peppermint, Myrtle, and Copaiba with four different types of eucalyptus to instantly open your nasal passages. Before starting exercising, simply roll it right under your nose, back of neck and chest. And you can also keep it close by and rub it on during workouts to give a little boost of energy to keep pushing.
Post-Workout
Muscle Soreness: Still sore from that killer TITLE Boxing class? Essential oils can help! Try rubbing Peppermint or PanAway essential oil on sore muscles to instantly soothe minor discomfort. Peppermint is know as a topical analgesic and should always be applied to the skin with a carrier oil such as coconut oil. PanAway is a blend exclusive to Young Living Essential Oils and is highly recommended to use daily, prior to and after working out. PanAway, also known as “pain away”, is a blend of powerful oils including Wintergreen, Helichrysum, Clove, and Peppermint. This oil is perfect to relieve tension on neck and shoulders or reduce any discomfort in sore muscles. Just mix a few drops with coconut or grape seed oil and massage right into affected areas. It will instantly cool you down, lift you up and sooth in all the right places. When muscles are fatigued, the use of Deep Relief roll-on or PanAway essential is the way to go. These powerful blends will soothe any sore joints, muscles and relieve tension immediately. These two oils will have your achey muscles feeling vibrant and ready to take on your next workout.
Bruises: If you experience any bruising from your workouts, make these bruises and scrapes fade ten times faster with the use of Lavender, Frankincense and Copaiba essential oils. These can be placed directly on the bruise or affected area to go to work. They are know for their anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and powerful against scarring and bruising.
Recovery: Getting into a warm bath with epsom salt is the ultimate practice to wind down and recover from a workout (make sure to use just plain epsom salt with no fragrance or added anything), and this is when you can add your favorite essential oil to the bath to kick it up a notch. Lavender, Copaiba or Stress Away are the favorites ones. Stress Away is another oil blend exclusive to Young Living that literally takes the stress away! Add a few drops of the chosen oil to a cup of epsom salt and pour into warm bath water to soothe your body and soul. You will instantly feel like you are in a spa and all of the zen vibes will pour around you.
I hope you all enjoyed learning a little more about essential oils and more ways to use them and incorporate them in your workout routine.
Thank you,
Jessica Budke – Young Living Essential Oils Leader and Educator ( @dropoflavender on Instagram)
***Any suggestions made on this blog are very specific to Young Living essential oils and should not be used with oils from another source. Statements made on this website about Young Living Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician. If you are currently on medication, please do not stop.