If you enjoy working out or physically demanding sports like trail running or long-distance biking, you probably occasionally feel exercise-induced muscle soreness. Muscle pain can interfere with daily activities and workouts in addition to being uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are several recovery techniques that can decrease exercise-related muscle injury and speed up muscle recovery. Here’s a list of drinks you can opt for to enhance and support muscle recovery.
1. Watermelon Juice
Watermelon is sweet, hydrating, and nutrient-dense. Furthermore, eating watermelon or drinking watermelon juice may help promote muscle recovery after exercise. Watermelon is high in the amino acid L-citrulline. Besides being a protein building block, this amino acid may have antioxidant properties and increase nitric oxide production (NO). NO improves blood circulation to muscles and cellular energy. This could explain why some studies suggest that watermelon juice can reduce muscle soreness and damage after exercise.
2. Pomegranate Juice
Polyphenols, which are plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, are abundant in pomegranate juice. As a result, consuming pomegranate juice may aid in muscle recovery. In a small 2017 study, 9 elite weightlifters drank 8.5 ounces (250 mL) of pomegranate juice three times per day for three days before Olympic Weightlifting workouts. 1 hour before training sessions, they were given an additional 16.9 ounces (500 mL) of juice.
3. Beet Juice
Beets are high pigments such as dietary nitrates and betalains. Nitrates in your diet may help send oxygen to your muscles and improve the efficiency of mitochondria, which are organelles or parts of cells that produce the energy that powers your cells. Meanwhile, betalains have been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage.
A 2016 study of 30 active men discovered that drinking beetroot juice immediately, 24 hours after, and 48 hours after strenuous exercise reduced muscle soreness and sped up muscle recovery.
4. Whey Protein Drinks
Some research suggests that whey protein may help athletes and nonathletes recover from exercise. Whey protein may also help muscles recover after resistance training. However, more research is needed to determine whether whey protein supplementation after exercise can promote muscle recovery. Protein shakes, on the other hand, can help you meet your daily protein goals and optimise muscle growth, so they may be worth your time.
5. Tart Cherry Juice
Drinking tart cherry juice may benefit both experienced and inexperienced athletes. According to research, tart cherry juice and tart cherry juice extract may aid in muscle recovery and reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is a type of muscle injury caused by unfamiliar or strenuous exercise. It causes symptoms such as painful movement restriction, swelling, and stiffness.
Exercise, in addition to DOMS, increases oxidative stress, cellular damage, and inflammation. Fortunately, antioxidant-rich foods and beverages may help to mitigate these side effects and speed recovery. Anthocyanins are plant compounds found in tart cherry juice. They have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may help to reduce perceived soreness and exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD).