Outdoor & Active Life Style, Physical Wellness
Essential Oils for Stomach Cramps From Jogging
Lakita brings over 20 years of experience in healing arts as a massage therapist, energy practitioner, life coach and clinical aromatherapist. She enjoys supporting customers to achieve their optimal state of well-being. And she’s still discovering new ways aromatherapy helps, like this account of using essential oils for stomach cramps.
I have never been much of an athlete and for the most part have kept my physical activity to walking and a bit of hiking. Turning 45 at the end of this year however, prompted me to reconsider my exercise routine (or lack there of) and set a new goal; by my October birthday I wanted to be able to jog 3 miles. My jogging partner found the “Couch Potato to 5K” program (to check out the program go to www.coolrunning.com) which by the way is a fabulous program for transitioning from a non-jogger to 5K runner. We embarked on this journey the last week in February and have now completed a couple of 5K races and continue with our training three days a week.
How do essential oils and jogging work together? At about the fifth week into the training program I started to experience stomach cramps, did a check in: was I hydrated, what had my diet been the previous 24 hours, etc. Since I use essential oils for other cramping issues during the month, I decided to create an essential oil blend and see if it would relieve my jogging cramps. Heck anything to save my training schedule!
Essential oils for stomach cramps from jogging soothe other cramps too!
I found that applying a combination of Basil Basil ct. linalol, Peppermint Mentha piperita and e3 Be Calm was my perfect combination of essential oils for stomach cramps. I applied it to my belly prior to my jog and I didn’t experience any cramping.
- Basil is a natural antispasmodic, great for relieving abdominal spasms due to irritable bowel, colic, menstrual cramping… and jogging.
- Peppermint is also an antispasmodic and calms the digestive system. I have found the addition of peppermint with its analgesic properties helps to immediately soothe cramps in progress. I do not always add Peppermint essential oil to my blend if I am just using it as a preventative but if I am experiencing any digestive upset or cramping prior to my run it is a must. Peppermint also helps to relieve congestion and is a stimulant so add it to your blend on days that you need a little extra pick me up or put a drop on a tissue and inhale prior to or during your run.
- e3 Be Calm contains:
Lavender – calms both body and mind and helps to restore overall balance
Chamomile – helps to calm anxiety as well as is soothing to the body
Mandarin is another great balancing essential oil, it is uplifting, soothing and I love the aroma
Fennel and Dill are both soothing to the digestive system
The calming and balancing ingredients of e3 Be Calm not only help to prevent cramping but also assisted this newbie jogger to calm her anxiety prior to her first 5K.
Application
Put a nickle to quarter size amount of carrier oil (e.g. unscented all natural lotion or cream, Jojoba, Fractionated Coconut Oil) in the palm of your hand add 3 drops of Be Calm, a drop or two of Basil and a drop of Peppermint as desired, mix and rub on belly prior to jog.
This essential oil blend also works well for abdominal cramping related to digestive upset or menstrual cramping issues.
I used my new essential oils for stomach cramps blend before each training session for about 3 weeks. I no longer experienced the cramping during every training session! If I tune into my body each day, I know when I need a little extra support from my essential oil blend. Our bodies have their own wisdom, if we just listen, we’ll know when and how to use our essential oils and when it’s time to stop or change a blend.
In Health and Happiness….
Because of our diverse biochemistry, what works for one person may not work for another. And, as Lakita noted, what works at one time, may not work at another. Would you like to know the key to picking essential oils that will benefit you the most right now? Please download a free copy of our ebook, Listen to Your Nose – An Introduction to Aromatherapy. We’re confident it will help get you started on the road to wellness.