With a New Year, often comes new motivation – especially for athletes.
Will this be the year you finally top your personal best? Or feel confident to compete at higher levels? Or maybe, you simply want to feel stronger and more energized while doing the sports or activities you love.
No matter what your athletic goals are for 2024, TCM can help you make them more attainable (while boosting your resilience and recovery in the process).
*Read on to learn how to improve athletic performance with tried-and-true TCM tips, therapies, and recipes.
Our feet take us everywhere we want to go. That is, until soreness and strains slow us down. If you’re dealing with issues like foot injuries, plantar fasciitis, or arthritis, you can find relief in a few natural remedies – no ice baths or painkillers required. In our latest blog, we’re sharing 5 effective natural ways to stop foot pain and get back to the activities you love most.
Read the Blog
Traditional Chinese Medicine isn’t just a healing system – it also offers unique wisdom we can apply to our everyday lives (including our athletic training).
In TCM, when yin and yang are in harmony, we are well. The same concept applies to everything in life – including your training routines. Apply this concept to your workouts by incorporating both high-intensity training (Yang) and restorative practices (Yin).
Balancing intense training with activities like yoga, Tai Chi, or meditation can prevent burnout and overtraining (while still moving the needle on your progress).
Enhance your athletic stamina by incorporating practices that promote the smooth flow of Qi, or energy. Acupuncture and acupressure are TCM techniques that stimulate specific points to regulate Qi circulation, reduce muscle tension, and improve overall energy flow. Integrating these practices into your routine can contribute to increased endurance and faster recovery. Tai Chi and Qi Gong practices also help to build your energy reserves and resilience.
TCM herbs are known for their adaptogenic properties. Ginseng , Astragalus and Rhodiola are all examples of herbs that can support your body's ability to adapt to stress, enhance endurance, and boost overall resilience. External formulas, like our Dit Da Jow liniments, can speed up injury recovery and support athletic conditioning, so you can reach your goals faster and free from injury.
Acupoint Stomach 36 is one of the most famous acupuncture points for endurance. But why?
Known as "Zusanli" or "Leg Three Miles," Stomach 36 can enhance overall energy levels and stamina. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) philosophy, stimulating this acupuncture point is believed to provide a burst of energy and vitality, as if one could travel an additional three miles on foot after receiving treatment at this specific point.
As the point name suggests, Stomach 36 can invigorate the Qi (energy) flow throughout the body. This point is particularly helpful for athletes who want to know how to improve athletic performance with simple self-care before, during or after a workout.
For athletes looking to reduce fatigue and improve their endurance, Stomach 36 can be a simple way to get a competitive edge. Locate the point on your lower legs and press deeply until it feels tender. Press for 5-10 seconds, release for a few seconds, then press again. Repeat for a few minutes or until you feel a burst of energy.
How to Find Stomach 36
Better performance starts with better adaptability. How can you train your muscles and joints to be more adaptable to change? With herbal support that encourages resilience, flexibility and fast healing.
The body takes a lot of abuse, whether you’re an actively training martial artist or an active person enjoying life. Ancestors Advanced liniment offers a simple way to protect areas of your body that may suffer from overuse.
Enhance your athletic stamina by incorporating practices that promote the smooth flow of Qi, or energy. Acupuncture and acupressure are TCM techniques that stimulate specific points to regulate Qi circulation, reduce muscle tension, and improve overall energy flow. Integrating these practices into your routine can contribute to increased endurance and faster recovery. Tai Chi and Qi Gong practices also help to build your energy reserves and resilience.
Instead of reaching for the ice pack, apply Herbal Ice to new injuries. This therapeutically cooling and circulating liniment helps jumpstart the healing process so you can recover quicker and get back to training.
You’ve likely heard of post-workout smoothies to build muscle and encourage recovery. With this recipe, we’re going one step further by enhancing flexibility with Chinese herbs.
Our Flexibili-Tea herbal tea pack was designed to help smooth tension and keep muscles, tendons and ligaments relaxed during exercise – and recovery quickly from stress and over-stretching during training.
By using this tea as the base for a recovery smoothie, you can enhance the overall effectiveness of your workout while fueling your body.
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Kate Downes is a Chinese medicine practitioner (MSAOM, NCCAOM, Dipl.OM) and wellness writer. Through her educational content for Plum Dragon Herbs, Kate hopes to help others gain a better understanding of the wonders of Chinese herbal medicine so they can be empowered in their own quest for natural, vibrant health.
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