Why Should You Have Lime Water With Workouts?

Nature is the doctor for all living creatures. All natural fruits and vegetables are a form of medicine for one ailment or the other. One such wonder cure is lime.

• The juice squeezed out of a lime is a potent anti-toxin that cleanses and purifies the digestive system and blood.
• It is also loaded with antioxidants that invigorate and energize the bodily functions.
• Nutritionists advice consumption of fresh lime water every morning to get rid of cancer, blood pressure, urinary tract problems, and so on.

Lime juice has been a natural thirst-quencher for ages and is an essential element in a healthy diet. A slice of lemon with lukewarm water is always good for a person trying to lose weight. But if you are a workout person, then you might need to consume it differently.

4 Reasons To Have Lime Water With Workouts

1. To Rehydrate And Replenish Electrolytes

Strenuous exercise exerts your tissues, muscles, and organs, and sweating releases vital body fluids. Drinking lime water after your workout helps replenish your body with the essential electrolytes and prevent dehydration. You could keep sipping small amounts of lime water through the workout session as well. Most trainers advice keeping a couple of slices of lime in your water bottle. You will have to increase the quantity during the hot and humid summer season.

2. To Reduce Muscle Soreness

Drinking lime water before a workout has other benefits too. This is because limes are a very rich source of vitamin C. Just 1 lime can meet 32% of your daily C requirement. If taken before workout, vitamin C can reduce muscle soreness and delay the usual increase in creatine kinase after workout – a high level of creatine kinase can cause muscle damage.¹ The deficiency of potassium, another mineral found in limes, is also believed to cause muscle soreness.

However, juice of just 1 lime will not be sufficient to achieve this effect. The optimal dose is 3 g a day. So you’d need to increase your intake of dietary vitamin C in general, not just on the day of workout.

3. To Reduce Symptoms Of Exercise-Induced Asthma

In some people, workout can cause bronchoconstriction, that is narrow the airways, leading to asthma symptoms like wheezing and coughing. It has been seen that vitamin C supplementation before workout can reduce such symptoms by 50%.²

4. To Reduce Oxidative Stress

Exercise can cause a 2 to 4-fold increase in free radical production from the skeletal muscles.³ Moreover, exercise is known to increase the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol too increases the production of free radicals. Free radicals are reactive molecules that oxidize cell membranes and trigger inflammation. Vitamin C being a potent antioxidant has been seen to prevent such oxidation and reduce oxidative stress.⁴

Lime water helps cover up for lost fluids in case you do moderate-intensity exercises for less than 60 minutes. If your regimen extends beyond the 1-hour mark and includes high-intensity workouts, then the lime water should be supported with other energy drinks.