Could watermelon be the magic way out for muscle aches?
- By Sandeep Godiyal - Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Many athletes have developed sore muscles after performing vigorous exercises or doing a new workout. This is due to fatigue-inducing stress on your muscles. This causes small tears in the muscle, which the muscle tissues repair themselves and in the process become stronger. However, muscle ache is uncomfortable and stressful. New research has revealed that you don't have to go through the pain anymore, as there is a new cure to muscle aches.
Researchers have discovered that watermelon has a magic way of relieving the post-workout muscle pains. If you drink watermelon juice or eat it prior to your training session, you will not feel the pain after a new workout or vigorous exercises. In a new study, athletes were given a watermelon fruit or juice enriched with watermelon before their workout. They reported less muscle soreness on the days they drank the watermelon juice before their workout.
L-citrulline
People perceive watermelon to be composed of water and natural sugar. However, watermelon is one of the most nutritious fruits. It contains vitamins A and C, which are very vital to the body. Watermelon also contains L-citrulline and amino acids. L-citrulline helps the muscles get oxygen faster. This makes them repair themselves faster.
Antioxidant properties
Watermelon juice is believed to have antioxidant properties that enhance athletic performance and increase muscle protein. After an intense workout, one feels pain later because of small tears in the muscle fibers. Apart from L-citrulline, watermelon also has anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve muscle aches.
What the athletes discovered
During the research, different athletes were given three different samples. Some were given natural watermelon, others juice enhanced with watermelon and the rest a control drink with no L-citrulline an hour before their workout. The athletes who drank the natural watermelon JUICE, and also those who drank the juice enhanced with watermelon, reported less muscle pain 24 hours after their workout. However, the natural watermelon juice seemed to be more viable. Thus, the researchers preferred the natural watermelon juice to the enhanced one.
Benefits of watermelon
While watermelon has several beneficial nutrients, including vitamin A and C, lycopene and beta-carotene, the researchers warned about eating them every day before working out. They said that watermelon has a lot more fructose than the recommended amount.
Conclusion
The next time you plan to go for a very intense workout, you can think about making watermelon juice. It will save you the stress of going through the post-workout muscle pain the next day you wake up. You will also gain a lot of nutrients. If you don't have a blender, you can just it eat naturally, since the effect will be the same. However, do not overdo it, because the excess fructose will do no good for your body.
Sources:
http://www.highlighthealth.com
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
About the author:
Sandeep is an mountain climber, runner, and fitness coach. He shares his tips for staying in shape and eating healthy on quickeasyfit.
More articles from Sandeep:
The eight best foods for your heart health
Top inflammatory foods to avoid eating
The top six better substitutes for sugar
Top five ways to get more vitamin D in your diet
