Support Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions with Aromatherapy

The start of a new year often comes with renewed energy to focus on health and fitness goals. Whether you're starting a new workout routine, training for a race, or simply striving to stay consistent, aromatherapy can be a powerful ally in helping you stick to your resolutions.

Let’s explore how the right essential oils can boost motivation, enhance performance, and aid recovery—keeping you on track to achieve your goals.

Aromatherapy and Fitness:

Essential oils are more than just pleasant scents—they can directly influence your mind and body. Here’s how some key oils can help:

Citrus Oils (Sweet Orange, Bergamot): Known for their uplifting properties, these oils can motivate you to lace up your shoes, even on tough days.
Peppermint Oil: Boosts endurance, reduces perceived effort, and improves oxygen use during exercise.
Rosemary Oil: Supports mental clarity and focus, which is particularly useful during strength training or complex workouts.
Clove Bud Oil: Acts as a natural energizer, helping to combat fatigue during long sessions.

Aromatherapy Recipes for Fitness Motivation

1. Resolution Energizer Inhaler Start your workout with a burst of energy and focus:

8 drops Sweet Orange
5 drops Peppermint
2 drops Rosemary

Place on a cotton wick, insert into an inhaler, and breathe deeply before exercising.

2. Motivation Diffuser Blend Create an inspiring atmosphere to get moving:

3 - 4 drops Bergamot
2 - 3 drops Sweet Orange
1 - 2 drops Peppermint
1 drop Clove Bud

Diffuse to invigorate your mind and body prior to working out.

3. Recovery and Relaxation Blend Soothe sore muscles and promote recovery post-workout:

5 drops Lavender
3 drops Peppermint
2 drops Eucalyptus

Mix into an ounce of carrier oil (such as jojoba or fractionated coconut oil) for a relaxing post-workout massage or use in a bath soak.

Tips to Stick with Your Resolutions

Incorporate Aromatherapy into Your Routine: Keep an inhaler or roller blend in your gym bag for on-the-go support.
Create Rituals: Diffuse an energizing blend while preparing for your workout and a calming blend afterward. Aroma is strongly connected to emotion and memory. Use it as a motivator or reward. It's powerful.
Track Your Progress: Celebrate small victories and mark milestones. Remember that taking small actions day after day means large progress over time. When you're running a race, whether it's 3 miles or 100, you run it one step at a time. Keep going and remember to note how far you've come.

With the help of essential oils, your fitness journey can be a more enjoyable and sustainable experience. Let 2025 be the year you stick to your resolutions and feel your best!

Aromatic blessings,

Tricia

Scientific articles on the benefits of essential oils on exercise and athletic performance:

Nidal Amin Jaradat, Hamzeh Al Zabadi, Belal Rahhal, Azmi Mahmoud Ali Hussein, Jamal Shaker Mahmoud, Basel Mansour, Ahmad Ibrahim Khasati and Abdelkhaleq Issa (2016), The effect of inhalation of Citrus sinensis flowers and Mentha spicata leave essential oils on lung function and exercise performance: a quasi-experimental uncontrolled before-and-after study; Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 13 (36)

MacKenzie CM, Hedge A. Is peppermint an ergogenic Aid to athletic performance? Rev Hum Factors Ergon. 2005;49:1229–33.

Raudenbush B, Corley N, Eppich W. Enhancing athletic performance through the administration of peppermint odor. J Sport Exercise Psychol. 2001; 23(2):156–60.

Zhiyue Li, Fengzhi Wu, Haozhen Shao, Yu Zhang, Angran Fan,and Feng Li (2017), Does the Fragrance of Essential Oils Alleviate the Fatigue Induced by Exercise? A Biochemical Indicator Test in Rats, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Vol 2017 Article ID: Article ID 5027372, 7 pages, http://doi.org/10.1155/2017%2F5027372