Recharge n Recover

You have just finished a weight training session or a run in strenuous conditions or a hectic trek then you know you are going to be sore somewhere or the other the next day. Or you are just into fitness and want to make sure you are healing up after your exercise routines. Or you just have some muscle damage like tears or pulls or spasms that are bothering you. Then, here are some things, mostly natural, that can heal those muscles and help you bounce back faster...

Green Tea, I am a big fan of this, contains ingredients like antioxidants and other things (catechins) that help reduce muscle damage and aid recovery. If you, like me, really drink tea (green or black without milk) often, then go for it unsweetened or use artificial sweetener to avoid the excess sugar calories. Now another amazing ingredient you can add to green tea is Ginger. Ginger is known to help inflammations and is very therapeutic. So grab that Ginger stick and chop it into your next cuppa...
Another item known to aid recovery is Chocolate Milk. Yummmmm! Choc milk has carbohydrates and proteins (apart from calcium and vitamin D) that can really help you after exercises. Again try to watch the sugar and if possible use milk with reduced fat. Now with milk another great traditional muscle soothing item that can be had is Turmeric. Turmeric has a host of medicinal benefits but one of them is helping reduce inflammation. I haven't read anywhere what is the amount of turmeric that should be taken but what I do is add about a small spoon of turmeric to about 1/3rd of a glass of milk and gulp it down in one shot because everyone knows it tastes pretty bad, but hey its really good for you and you can follow it up with choc milk ;-)
Couple of last few items, Walnuts and Almonds. We all know that nuts are high in fat content and high in calories, but as it turns out the fat in Walnuts are plant based Omega-3 which help in decreasing inflammation and increase your HDL (the good cholesterol). Almonds are also good for you, it contains vitamin E, an antioxidant. The fat in both these nuts are in fact good for our heart and help in keeping our arteries clean. It is really good for people into fitness, exercise or running. Just note that cashews are still are not in the good books but walnuts and almonds are. They have been found to help muscles recover and keep you really healthy. So, go nuts!!!