Today’s guest blog post comes from a good friend of mine Barney Kuntze. He’s a serious essential oil user and will share with you how he uses them to energize, and optimize his workouts, as well as how to use them for recovery. Feeling slouchy and like you want to skip your workout altogether? There’s apparently an oil for that too:)
Enjoy the post!
Daniela
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If you’re a dedicated exercise junkie like me, you’re going to LOVE this!
However, you might be feeling the need to return to exercise if you haven’t been as consistent as you’d like.
Combining Essential Oils & Exercise has many beneficial elements. As a fitness club owner for 11 years and just over 9 years using Essential Oils, I’ve learned a thing or two.
The first thing I learned was that not all Essential Oils are created equally. You can go to the nearest shopping center or health food store and apply some of what I’m going to share with you and frankly, you may be left feeling beyond disappointed.
I was highly encouraged (by someone I have a ton of respect for, his name is Paul Chek) to use Young Living Essential Oils for several reasons. Mainly because they are the ONLY company in the entire world who have the “Seed to Seal Process” in how they produce their oils. I’ve been to 4 of their many farms around the world and have touched, tasted, smelled, felt and actually participated in the distillation of a variety of different oils. It’s important to me that you know this since I’ve done my own personal research and despite what you might read online – just know that not all oils are created equally.
Pre-Workout
My pre-workout selection of oils is usually the following: Peppermint, Northern Lights Black Spruce & Eucalyptus Radiata
Peppermint – Apply to the back of my neck, lower back & 1-2 drops in the palms of my hands. I then rub my hands together in a clockwise rotation and then inhale in the following manner slow, long, even, deep & smooth. You will notice right away how oxygenating & energizing it is to your mind and body.
Northern Lights Black Spruce – I apply this neat to my inner arms between my biceps & triceps. The skin is very thin & “membranous” which makes the absorption into the blood stream much faster. Especially during & after your warm up. Always remember to “inhale” through the nose to get it into your brain. This oil has been shown to naturally increase testosterone in the body.
BONUS: 1-2oz of Ningxia Red. Which is an antioxidant/whole food infusion of berries & essential oils! It tastes amazing and leaves you with energy for the day without the typical crash that the most commonly used “energy drinks” leave you with.
During My Workout
The oils I use before my workouts are almost always the same as during and I use them in the exact same manner as mentioned above.
- During Cardio, I will take a couple of good whiffs of peppermint or Black Spruce!
- In between sets when I’m training with weights.
- If I’m doing circuit training myself or with members/clients, I’ll make sure everyone gets a drop in their palms to inhale while they are taking a rest & getting water!
- Apply peppermint topically anywhere my body needs some added blood-flow or where there are some “sticking points” in the muscle alone or performance.
Post Workout
Stress Away – for exactly just as it says! It helps to bring your body down into rest and recovery mode very quickly. It’s also great to use at night before going to bed to maximize your recovery time during sleep. Just a 1-2 drops in your palms & inhaled deeply through your nose 3-5x. You an also apply it to your belly button and over the chest (you can apply it neat, as it has fractionated coconut oil already in it which acts as a carrier oil) as well to help enhance the effect.
Lavender – Well known for inducing deep relaxation that goes way above the smell you normally experience at a spa. I usually put this in a diffuser in my office post workout, or in our bedroom while we sleep for a power packed restful sleep.
You can apply to the bottom of your feet if you’re not fond of any of smells at first of any of the oils above. However, I will assure you that if you’re not 100% switched on my the smell of an oil at first, doesn’t mean it won’t benefit your body & chemistry!
In closing, I suggest that you contact whoever shared this with you to get your hands on some Young Living Essential Oils & watch your workout performance soar. If you’re feeling demotivated – just huffing on my peppermint and going for a walk will change the ENTIRE STATE of your mind and thus the outcome of your day in just a matter of minutes.
Barney Kuntze
Young Living #1388588
www.fceo.ca