When you think of turmeric, what comes to mind? Probably a supplement that aids in improving overall health, reducing inflammation, and has some claims that it can even help prevent certain illnesses and diseases, right? Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. But what if I were to tell you that turmeric has some pretty amazing benefits for athletes as well?
In this article, we will look at five ways that supplementing with turmeric can help enhance your athletic performance and give you that extra edge and advantage that can put you ahead of your competition.
WHAT IS TURMERIC?
Turmeric is actually nothing new or groundbreaking. In fact, it’s been around for many years and has been the yellow-colored spice used in many delicious dishes. The benefits of turmeric actually come from a curcuminoid found in turmeric called curcumin. Many times, turmeric and curcumin are used interchangeably.
When it comes to understanding the benefits of turmeric, there is no shortage of research out there showing just how effective it is at protecting and improving health. While we could create an entire article on all the health research out there, for the sake of this article, let’s dive specifically into how it can benefit you as an athlete.
1. Improve Muscle Recovery
Whether you’re training hard in the gym or pushing yourself to compete at the highest level on the playing field, your muscles are being broken down and exhausted. While many will reach for a protein shake or amino acid supplement to improve muscle recovery, you may find that turmeric can also help prevent muscle damage and soreness.
One study showed that those who supplemented with turmeric were able to minimize the adverse effects of muscle damage due to intense training. Some have even claimed that prolonged use of turmeric can even help enhance recovery from injuries.
You are probably well aware of the soreness that comes from DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness), which can last several days following intense muscular activity. This can decrease your athletic performance if you aren’t able to recover quickly. Therefore, on top of your muscle recovery protocol, consider adding turmeric to your supplement arsenal.
2. Enhance Athletic Performance
If this benefit caught your eye, it certainly should. Anything you can legally use as an ergogenic aid to improve athletic performance is something you’d want to consider implementing, no?
Turmeric has the ability to help improve your endurance during exercise and activity while also helping to minimize ammonia and lactic acid from building up in your muscles and decreasing your muscle function and performance.
This powerful ingredient is also extremely promising when it comes to muscle glycogen levels (a source of fuel used by your muscles that gets diminished through physical activity and needs to be replenished). It has been found that through the use of turmeric, you may be able to drastically increase and restore muscle glycogenfollowing intense bouts of exercise and training.
3. Decrease Inflammation
As a result of exercise or athletic activity, it’s common for inflammation to occur in the body, such as in the muscles. In addition, the constant demand on the joints can also create some inflammation. It should be noted that inflammation is a natural process that takes place in the body and tends to follow exercise. However, such inflammation is generally acute and does not last long. That said, should you suffer from chronic inflammation, that’s where some issues may arise.
Earlier, we touched on the fact that turmeric is known to have potent anti-inflammatory properties. This is important as inflammation can hinder your athletic performance as well as your workouts if not managed properly.
To better manage inflammation, turmeric can be supplemented. A piece of research looked at the various methods of decreasing inflammation and found that turmeric can be just as effective at reducing inflammation as common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory products like aspirin or ibuprofen.
4. Reduce Joint Pain and Arthritis
Piggybacking off of the previous benefit, turmeric can help minimize joint pain and arthritis. As an athlete, your body takes a beating – especially your joints.
Repetitive motions and movement, such as a pitcher throwing a baseball, can cause some inflammation and arthritis in the shoulder and elbow. To remedy this issue, you can add turmeric to your post-workout routine and get a jump-start on removing inflammation before it turns into something more serious.
5. Increase Brain Function and Memory
Athletes are constantly watching tape, studying plays, and trying to outsmart their opponent on the playing field. In order to do this, you need optimal brain function and memory.
One such benefit of supplementing with turmeric is that it can help improve brain function and memory. A cognitive study was done looking at individuals who were suffering from memory issues and found that by supplementing with turmeric, those who took the supplement, compared to those who did not, improved their memory by as much as 28%.
Does this crossover to athletes who have no signs of memory issues? That has yet to be studied, but even if a minor increase was found, it could have a profound effect on your athletic performance.
That being said, inflammation can play a role in brain function and memory, and the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric could maintain current levels if not improve them while helping minimize the risk of cognitive decline and disease.
THE SECRET TO ATHLETIC SUCCESS
I guess the cat is out of the bag now, but elite athletes have used turmeric for years to help them perform and recover better. The science and research are out there, and more and more athletes are jumping on board. Will you be next?
If you’re looking for a high-quality turmeric supplement, look no further than Simple Supplements Turmeric + Black Pepper Extract Combo. This product utilizes turmeric extract (98% curcumin) to help you perform at the highest level. In addition, black pepper extract (95% piperine) has been added to the combo to help increase the body’s ability to absorb the turmeric and maximize its effectiveness. Black pepper extract can aid with pain relief, support digestion, and increase nutrient absorption.
With the laundry list of benefits from turmeric that can help unlock your true athletic capabilities, it’s no wonder so many athletes are loading up on the powerhouse of a supplement. If you want to experience it for yourself, grab yourself a bottle of Simple Supplements Turmeric and find out what top athletes have been keeping secret all of these years!
