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Having trouble touching your toes? Suffer from stiff hips and tight hammies? It’s high time to get loose—not in your joints—in your diet!
That’s right. There are actually foods you can eat that’ll enhance your flexibility and improve your overall fitness. Without further ado, add these 7 flexibility-enhancing foods to your diet and you’ll limber up in no time.
#1 Blueberries
The more inflamed your muscles are, the harder time you’ll have to improve your flexibility. Reducing inflammation doesn’t mean heading to the pharmacy and buying some over-the-counter anti-inflammatory. Instead, open your fridge. By following an anti-inflammatory diet, you can fight off inflamed muscles for good.
Blueberries have exceptional anti-inflammatory properties, which help muscles recover quickly and prevent sore joints. Add them to your diet to keep inflammation at bay.
#2 Oranges
Oranges are high in vitamin C, which combats free radicals. When exercising, your body naturally produces more free radicals. To recover quickly from your next intense workout and increase your flexibility, add oranges to your daily diet.
#3 Fresh Fish
Fresh fish is rich in essential amino acids and omega 3s. Studies suggest foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids enhance joint mobility, improve flexibility and boost your overall health.
#4 Ginger
Include ginger in your diet to promote flexibility. Due to its stimulating effect on the circulatory system and anti-inflammatory properties, ginger is one of the most important superfoods to add to your arsenal to keep your ligaments, joints and tendons flexible. Purchase some fresh ginger and make a delicious ginger-honey tea.
#5 Turmeric
This year’s super herb is turmeric. Like ginger, it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory and effective circulatory system stimulator. Not only that, turmeric speeds up muscle repair, making it a flexibility award-winner.
#6 Watermelon
Not only is watermelon high in water, it also contains the amino acid L-citrulline, which enhances athletic performance and assists with post-workout recovery. Eat watermelon to train harder, go longer and recover quicker.
And contrary to popular belief, watermelon is low in sugar. A one-cup serving of watermelon contains 10 grams of sugar compared to one mango (45 grams), a cup of grapes (23 grams) or a medium-sized pear (17 grams).
#7 Water
While water is not considered a food—it contains no calories—it’s the most vital substance for your body, especially since 76 percent of your muscles contain water. This high percentage of water content is the key to muscle elasticity.
When muscles become dehydrated, their functioning capacity is severely diminished, resulting in clumsiness and major muscle cramps. The more you keep your muscles dehydrated, the more you’ll increase your risk of injury, decrease your range of motion, experience severe levels of fatigue and have trouble recovering from intense workouts.
To stay properly hydrated, think beyond those 8 glasses of water a day and also include foods high in water content—oranges, apples, tomatoes and cucumber. And don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Stay hydrated throughout the day to keep your joints lubricated and your energy levels high.
