Essential oils are either snake oil or a miracle cure-all depending on who you ask. The truth is somewhere in between of course. Some of the wilder claims are likely exaggerated. They can’t do everything, but there is a lot that they can actually help with.
One of these things that work is to give you a boost to your workout. Whether we are talking about aromatherapy or to use as an ointment, there are many different oils that can achieve a lot of natural remedies.
If your pre-workout routine is lacking something, or you are taking a long time to recover after a workout then you should look into how some of these essential oils can help you.
In this article, I will go over several of the kinds of essential oils that are effective in helping your workout.
How essential oils work
There are a few ways that oils can be used but in the case of working out, we will focus on two. Those are aromatherapy and ointments. Which types of oils to use will differ depending on what you need them to do so we will go into that aspect in a bit.
In the case of aromatherapy, the scent of the oils react with your olfactory receptors and can alter your mood accordingly. You can use diffusers for the entire room, or even a diffuser bracelet for essential oils to sniff when you need a little pick me up.
Certain oils will bring about a certain reaction. In the case of your workout, you will need an energy boost or at least a change in your mood to get the most out of your workout.
Then there are ointment creams that contain essential oils that can be used to massage into your skin to help with sore muscles or joints. If you have trouble recovering quickly after a workout then this is a good option.
Best oils for pre-workout
If you are reading this then it means that you either have trouble getting motivated to workout, or it takes you a long time to get going once you get to the gym. When this is the case, you can use a few different oils to get things rolling by boosting your mood and energy levels.
A few sniffs of any citrus oil like lemon or orange essential oils will give you a nice boost. The scents are light, bright and make you feel like you are going to work out in a lemon grove on the Amalfi coast somewhere.
Other oils that can give you more energy are peppermint oil and thyme. Peppermint oil has a menthol type scent that cuts right through your sinuses and instantly lifts your energy. Thyme is more subtle but reacts in the same way with your senses.
Post-workout
After you workout, you can use a carrier oil like olive oil or argan oil mixed with essential oil to massage your muscles. Peppermint or eucalyptus oils are best for this due to their menthol quality and penetrate deep into the tissue to loosen those tight muscles.
