You may have heard that honey is a potent weight-loss agent, but did you know that this sticky syrup can also boost your workout regime? Honey and exercise go hand in hand due to the myriad of benefits that honey offers.

Getting the right post-workout nutrition is essential for maintaining the effectiveness of your regime. Honey is filled with antioxidants and can help your body recover from minor stress and injuries caused during a workout session. It also fuels your body with the energy it needs to recover from the workout. Let’s find out all the reasons why honey and exercise are your new fitness BFFs.

Honey and Exercise: Do they really go together?

Quick carbohydrate recovery

Fitness instructors have always advised their clients to indulge in carbohydrates after a workout (unless their clients are on a no-carbs diet). This is because the natural glucose levels in the body reduce after a rigorous workout regime. However, most carbohydrate-rich foods can play havoc with the body’s glycemic index, thereby causing more harm than good.

One of the many reasons why people believe that honey and exercise pair together beautifully is because honey offers better carbohydrate recovery. This is mainly because honey has a low glycemic index (which means that it does not raise blood sugar). When you consume honey after working out, you avoid the risks of developing high blood sugar. Honey allows your blood sugar levels to rise in a slow and systematic manner, which is much better for your health.

Better for your muscles

During a workout regime, our muscles are stretched and tested to their limits. So, it’s only natural that they are allowed some time to recover. This is where the benefits of honey and exercise come into play.

During the recovery phase of your training, honey allows your muscles to absorb glucose. With this, the muscles are able to rebuild their stores of glycogen. Once your body adapts to working out, your muscles also use the recovery time to build additional stores of glucose to prepare for the next workout round. When your blood does not have enough glucose, naturally your body cannot recover. This can lead to weakness, pain, and even soreness in the muscles. Consuming honey after a workout session can help prevent the same from happening.

In a similar vein, you can also have honey before your workout. It releases glucose into the bloodstream slowly and then allows your muscles to obtain glycogen from the blood while you exercise. This way, the muscles do not have to use their stored glycogen. This is a good way to combine honey and exercise to reduce fatigue. You can expect your performance during the workouts to be much better this way too.

Of course, while these are proven benefits of honey and exercise, it’s important to also consult with your trainer about consuming honey before or after the exercise. That way, you can make sure you’re consuming it at the right time, and reaping the most number of benefits.

A good hydration tool while working out

Most trainers will advise you to lower your water consumption while working out. However, you still have to have a few sips of water at regular intervals to prevent dehydration and fatigue. Drinking a mixture of honey and water can provide the same benefits, while tacking on a few additional ones like boosting your energy, ensuring your muscles recover well, and reducing oxidative stress in the body while you work out. Next time, fill your portable water bottle with water and a teaspoon of honey!

Honey is natural, and is better for your overall health!

Are you accustomed to reaching for sugary sports drinks while you workout? It’s time to ditch them for honey. Sugary sports drinks contain a myriad of ingredients like refined sugars (that cause inflammation) and caffeine (which causes dehydration). Though these drinks may offer a boost in energy, that boost is often followed by a larger drop. It’s much better for your overall health to choose a more natural alternative.

One of the reasons why honey and exercise are considered to be a good combination is because honey can work as an alternative to those sports drinks. As honey has raw sugars, it does not cause inflammation in the body, and still manages to give you that boost of energy you were looking for. With nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and proteins filled to the brim, honey gives your body everything it needs to perform well.

Honey and exercise: How can you combine the two?

There are many things you can do to add honey to your exercise regime. As stated earlier, you can consume honey before, during, or after your workouts, depending on what your trainer thinks is best for your routine. Based on the same, you can easily consume honey in the following ways:

A delicious spread!

If your trainer requires you to consume a carb-filled breakfast before working out, then why not have some honeyed toast? You can spread the honey on toast and add a few nuts or seeds (as per your tastes) to make the meal more exciting. You can also add sliced bananas, strawberries, or avocadoes to the mix.

Here’s a pro tip for you: EiwaHoney’s Himalayan Multi-Florals Honey is a great flavor when you’re looking to transform a drab piece of toast into a breakfast worth bragging about!

A homemade sports drink!

Can’t do without a bottle of sports mix in your hand? Here’s a simple way to replace those brightly colored drinks with a more natural alternative. All you need to do is fill your water bottle with water, a spoonful of raw honey, and a pinch of pink salt. This mix provides everything your body needs to stay energetic during a workout. The salt prevents muscle cramps, the water hydrates your body, and the honey offers all the benefits you’ve just read about!

Here’s a pro tip for you: EiwaHoney’s Neem Honey can help you replace sports drinks that have a minty flavor. Trust us, once you have this in your bottle, you’ll never reach for chemically-laced drinks again!

Power bars for that post-workout recovery!

Most people feel quite hungry after a workout and this can lead to an over-indulgence in all the wrong types of foods. To avoid binge-eating unhealthy items, and to enjoy the benefits of honey and exercise, you can make yourself a nutrition bar with honey, cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. Roughly chop the nuts and seeds together. Add them to a bowl with oats and place them in a rectangle or square mold. Pour raw honey over it and keep the bars in the fridge. After your workout, pop one out of the mold and eat! These nutrition bars are so filling that you won’t overeat after your workout.

Here’s a pro tip for you: EiwaHoney’s Royal Jelly Honey is perfect for creating a nutrition bar that offers a decadent flavor.

Power shots for those Mid-workout boosters!

If the idea of drinking a honey and water sports mix doesn’t appeal to you, you can always try these shots! Add a juice of one lime, a teaspoon of honey, half a teaspoon of ginger, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of cayenne pepper and power everything in a shot glass. Keep taking these shots to refuel your system, as and when you need to!

Here’s a pro tip for you: EiwaHoney’s Mustard Honey is the perfect flavor of honey to use in this recipe if you want a slight hint of that zingy mustard flavor!

Honey and exercise: How much honey should I have to reap the benefits?

Honey is an extremely potent ingredient, which means that you do not have to consume a lot of it. One teaspoon of honey a day can be enough to reap the combined benefits of honey and exercise!

What’s the verdict on honey and exercise?

Honey and exercise can offer a range of health benefits when combined. Whether you indulge in light exercises or go in for hardcore strength training, honey can help you on all fronts. Not sure how to incorporate this nectar into your diet? Check out these 20 mouth-watering honey recipes from our blog!

Comment below and tell us if you made any of these energy-boosting recipes and whether your workout was better than normal!