Looking to boost your performance, aid recovery, and get the most from every workout? Our list of the best herbal teas for gym goers will give you all the inspiration you need.
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Whether you’re an avid gym goer or someone who dutifully drags yourself there once a week, you hopefully already know how important it is to get your nutrition right to support your workouts.
And what you drink can be as important as what you eat. Our bodies need hydration when we’re exercising to replace the fluids we lose when we sweat. Plain water may do the job here, but there are other drinks we can choose that bring added benefits.
One type of drink that is often overlooked when it comes to pre- and post-workout hydration is herbal tea. Hydrating and low in calories, herbal tea can be a healthy alternative to processed, overly sweet sports drinks.
As well as being a great option for those of us who prefer a more natural approach to nutrition, herbal teas often contain active compounds that boost performance and give our bodies a helping hand with post-workout recovery.
But which herbal teas should you choose for your pre- or post-workout drink? Our list of the best herbal teas for gym goers should give you all the inspiration you need to find the one that is right for you.
Best Before Your Workout
Before you hit the gym, you want to choose a herbal tea that will provide you with a boost of energy and support your performance, so you can reach your fitness goals faster.
Our favourite herbal teas to drink before going to the gym include:
- Ginseng
Prized by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng is said to provide energy, vitality, and stamina. Evidence suggests that it can increase endurance and help you keep going for longer, so this is a great choice for your pre-workout cuppa.
- Rhodiola
Another energy-boosting herb to enjoy before your gym session is rhodiola. This is a particular good choice if your workout will include plenty of anaerobic exercise (like weight lifting, HIIT, or other strength training), as rhodiola boosts anaerobic performance.
- Ashwagandha
If you prefer to spend your gym sessions focusing on your cardio, ashwagandha might be the herbal tea for you. This adaptogen helps to boost aerobic endurance and increase your VO2 max, letting you get the most from your workout.
- NutraBoost
Can’t choose between these three teas? The good news is that you don’t have to – our NutraBoost blend contains all three of these performance-boosting herbs and is a great herbal tea to opt for before you go to the gym.
Best to Enjoy After the Gym
After your gym session, it’s time to focus on recovery. You want to look for herbal teas that soothe inflammation and help sore muscles recover from the workout you’ve just put them through.
Look out for the following herbal teas to support your post-gym recovery:
- Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the best-known natural options for relieving sore muscles and supporting post-workout recovery. Highly anti-inflammatory, it helps to prevent muscle damage and reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress.
- Ginger
Like turmeric, ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and a great choice to ease any sore muscles post-workout. It reduces muscle damage and is a natural painkiller too.
- Cinnamon
Another anti-inflammatory herbal tea to try after a gym session is cinnamon. Research indicates that supplementing with cinnamon post-workout can aid recovery and prevent muscle soreness.
- NutraTrim
Enjoy turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger together in our NutraTrim blend. This herbal tea is particularly good if weight loss is one of your goals, as it contains ingredients that boost your metabolism and support fat-burning
Best All-Rounder
Finally, we couldn’t finish this blog without a shoutout to our favourite all-round herbal tea for gym goers – green tea.
An enduringly popular option for athletes and gym enthusiasts alike, green tea supports both performance and recovery. Not only does its caffeine content help to boost your energy levels and banish fatigue, but green tea is also linked to improved neuromuscular activity, reduced oxidative stress, and less muscle damage.
You can find green tea in both our NutraBoost and NutraTrim blends, as well as many of our other herbal teas.