How to Enhance Your Workouts Naturally

Maintaining good health is not just about eating well, but also keeping up with your fitness. While activity levels and interest vary from person to person, it’s important to keep exercise on the forefront of your mind when thinking about health. Not every person is destined to be a pro athlete, but we can all benefit from learning how to improve our physical performance and get the most out of our workouts.

One important aspect for improving athletic performance is to ensure that you are recovering properly from a workout (1). Low impact exercise, proper stretching, nutrition, and hydration are all part of the recovery process. While it is tempting to power through another workout, it’s important to listen to your body and take a day off as this can prevent injury and burnout. Many athletes also incorporate foam rolling, massage, cold showers, and Epsom salt baths to help their muscles and joints heal (2). Plus, don’t forget: make sure you are sleeping well! Sleep is crucial for recovery, as well as giving you the energy to tackle your next run, yoga class, or sports game (3).

“Runners who only run are prone to injury. Cross-training and weight training will make you a stronger and healthier runner.”

- Bob Cooper (4)

If you want to boost your athletic performance, it is highly recommended that you incorporate other forms of fitness than just your practice of choice. One form of exercise usually targets only a few areas of the body, it’s important to ensure that you are taking a holistic approach to fitness. Not only will this help you feel and look good, but it will also prevent injury and equip you for any physical activity you might want to try. For example, if you prefer yoga, it is recommended to incorporate cardio. If you are a runner, you should incorporate strength training. For long-term fitness goals, we recommend focusing on strength, flexibility, speed, and coordination. These areas of fitness will allow you to boost your athleticism and help you perform daily tasks as you age (5).

Finally, it’s vital that you are taking care of your mental health. If you are not feeling mentally strong, chances are you won’t feel physically strong. The mental game is so important to athletic performance that there are even sports psychologists! Sports psychologists recommend that you practice goal setting, visualization, focus, and positive self-talk (6). Sports psychology can improve resilience, help you overcome challenges, facilitate healing, and increase motivation. For example, visualization can help you keep positive images in your mind, remember past successes, and motivate you by visualizing yourself finishing the task at hand (7). Over time, strengthening your mental health will help you push past challenges, whether fitness related or not, and improve your overall well-being.

Living Alchemy is committed to formulating clean supplements that take you to the places you want to go. As you visualize achieving your goals, we create products that help you get there. Rhodiola, an adaptogenic herb, has been used for centuries to help our bodies adapt to physical stress, as well as improve athletic performance, combat fatigue, and prevent burnout. What’s more, Rhodiola has been known to reduce anxiety and improve mental performance, an essential factor to achieving your fitness goals. Living Alchemy uses the ancient art of fermentation to activate Rhodiola into its superior form for RHODIOLA Alive. It’s a great addition for those under physical exertion and for supporting recovery after exercise.

Living Alchemy also formulated PROTECT, a fermented blend of all organic Turmeric, Green Tea, Holy Basil, Rosemary, Ginger, plus Reishi mushroom. All of these herbs work together to help reduce inflammation, protect tissues and joints from damage, and support the immune system. Providing powerful antioxidants help to destroy free radicals in the body, prevent chronic inflammation, lessen cellular damage, and may reduce chances of long-term illnesses. Instead of grabbing a bottle of a pain killer after your workout, we recommend trying our fermented, organic whole foods in PROTECT to help you manage your pain, inflammation, and keep your joints strong.

For more information on Rhodiola and fitness, read this blog on RHODIOLA Alive for Enhanced Athletic Performance. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for more tips to achieve your health goals.