07
Sep 2014
3 Athletic Benefits Of Turmeric
Turmeric May just be one of the most powerful spices on the planet. Many current studies show that this powerhouse root (like ginger) has a multitude of benefits for your body and brain. Not to mention it has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for 1000’s of years.
Here are three ways Turmeric could help you recover faster, get stronger, and think better…really though, it’s true.
1. Turmeric is a strong anti-inflammatory
Chronic Inflammation is the cause to all disease. A specific ingredient in Turmeric, called Curcumin, stops inflammation at the molecular source.
Inflammation sucks. It really does.
It is the pre-cursor to many diseases, as well as the cause to why you feel groggy, sore, sick, tired, un-focused, and all things WEAK!
Actually, you know what though…our body needs inflammation. (I know hear me out). Acute Inflammation, in other words short term inflammation, is extremely important. It helps repair damage, and fights off foreign invaders in the body. Pain is inflammation, and pain is the body’s natural response to fix itself.
With that all said, long term inflammation, referred to as Chronic Inflammation, is a big, big problem and it results in a bad time for your brain and your body. It is a sneaky process too. Do not let it happen to you! In other words, start applying the MEDs (minimal effective dose) in your daily practice so you can have a longer and more amazing life.
It just so turns out that there are certain foods that have biochemical properties that kick chronic inflammation in the ass. In turmeric, there is a specific active ingredient called Curcumin. This is the substance that gives Turmeric (and Curry) it’s deep orange color. Curcumin is an amazingly strong anti-inflammatory that even matchs the effects of some anti-inflammatory drugs (1) without the gnarly side effects. This little orange guy steps in and lowers inflammation at the molecular level.
BOTTOM LINE: If you feel like crap (via chronic inflammation) you can’t lift weights. If you can’t lift weights, you can’t get stronger. If you can’t get stronger (or faster, or leaner, or insert goal here ) you can’t keep pursuing the best version of yourself. Stop letting inflammation get in the way of that. Start using techniques that move you forward.
2. Turmeric Is An Antioxidant Powerhouse For the Body (and Brain)
If your body was a party, then antioxidants would be the shredded bounce in the V-neck at the door. Simply put an antioxidant is a pigment of color. Blueberries, cranberries, cloves, cacao…these things all simply have high amounts of antioxidants due to there rich color….AND look how gosh darn colorful turmeric is! It is like orange x 100!!!
Now that you got the simple stupid understanding (KISS…keep it simply stupid) of what an antioxidant is, now lets talk about what it can do for your body and brain…back to that idea of the bouncer.
Internal Oxidation of the body is now very well known to be one of the leading causes of aging….everything from wrinkly skin to stiff joints and all the above. Like that jerk who starts the fight at the bar, the process of oxidation occurs when tiny little molecules enter the body and start to breakdown organic substances (like proteins, fatty acids, and all the things that make your body run the way it should).
The reason antioxidants are so important and valuable to our personal biology is because they enter the body, target the bad guys (free radicals), and kick them the hell out.
In the case of Turmeric and it’s active ingredient Curcumim, you get an even higher level of protection. Curcumin is not only a very powerful antioxidant, it actually has the ability to stimulate the production of your body’s own antioxidant enzymes. This is like a one-two punch to the face for those little buggers (free radicals) that are causing problems in your body…and that is a party foul bro. Time to hire a body guard.
BOTTOM LINE: Turmeric and it’s active ingredient Curcumin is one of the most powerful antioxidants known in the plant kingdom. It has the ability to fight off free radicals at it’s source as well as stimulate your body’s natural antioxidant system.
3. Turmeric Makes You Smarter, More Focused, And More Alert
Don’t believe that bold statement? Well guess what it is true…and there is observable, measurable, and repeatable science that shows just how true and amazing it is. (2,3)
With out getting into too much detail, lets talk about something called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a cutting edge neuroscientific discovery that tells us that our brain is literally infinitely capable of becoming smarter.
The old school thought process was that after a certain age, our neurons and ability to increase our brain power peaks and stops growing. This science, with the advent of technology, is now being proven wrong, and it is darn exciting.
….Now that you know what neuroplasticity is (and if you were lazy and didn’t watch the video…watch it fool!) you would be excited to know that there are ways to increase the brain’s ability to increase neuroplasticity. And if you have not already guessed….our good friend, Curcumin has the amazing ability to do just that.
This occurs through the process of increasing a growth hormone in the brain called Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (4) That may sounds like a big scary word, but all you need to know is that BDNF levels play a huge role in memory, cognition, and the function of a healthy brain. Interested in learning how to master gymnastics skills, play the guitar, or perhaps become a world champion tango dancer, Curcumin could help you get there.
BOTTOM LINE: Curcumin has the ability to boost BDNF levels in the brain which fights off degenerative brain function and even stimulates the growth of new neurons. In other words, this stuff makes you smarter, and more alert in the long term. This also means that you are more focused when performing 7 minutes of burpees, driving a race car, and working on becoming a millionaire.
Interested on learning how you can use Turmeric every day? Check out the full article here with a recipe that can boost your immune system and make you kick more ass.
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