Every runner has experienced muscle soreness after a hard run or race. In fact, if a runner’s muscles aren’t sore after a race, it might be a sign that he or she should have tried harder. Although many runners turn to anti-inflammatories, such as Ibuprofen, there are other natural remedies, such as cherry juice, that do a great job relieving pain and reducing muscle soreness.
Muscle soreness occurs as a result of a process called “oxidative stress.” When running, the muscles use oxygen to produce the energy needed to propel the body forward. However, these chemical reactions have the side effect of producing substances called “free radicals.” Free radicals damage muscle tissue and are responsible for much of the muscle soreness that runners feel after races and workouts.
In order to combat free radicals, runners need to make sure that they eat foods high in antioxidants, including tea, berries, garlic, whole grains, and carrots. One food that has been proven to especially help runners with muscle soreness is cherry juice.
In a 2010 study, fifty-four runners were placed into two groups. One group drank cherry juice twice a day for a week leading up to Oregon’s Hood to Coast Relay race, and one group drank a placebo cherry drink. The study found that runners who drank the cherry juice had far less muscle soreness during the Hood to Coast race than runners who drank the placebo. The antioxidants in the cherry juice reduced the number of free radicals in the body and protected the runners from the debilitating muscle soreness felt by runners in the other group.
The finding of this study is very important because runners should know that taking anti-inflammatory medication like Ibuprofen, which can have serious side effects, is not the only option for reducing muscle soreness. Eating and drinking high antioxidant foods like cherry juice is a natural and effective way to run without muscle soreness.
