Please consult a medical professional prior to any exercise. This post contains affiliate links where we may earn a small commission.
For those of us that love to run, it is not something that we do as an “exercise”. It is an integral part of life that makes it heartbreaking not to run when we are in pain. You may be in pain because you are recovering from an injury or suffering from long term chronic pain, but our goal is to get back to running and regaining that freedom to go wherever your heart desires with just the effort of your body.
We thought of putting together this list of Best Gifts for Vegan Runners to help you stay injury free, recover, or manage chronic pain while doing what you love.
For vegan running shoes, we recommend this article from PETA.
#1 Stay Hydrated
Nothing is more important than staying hydrated because our bodies are made up of 60% water, even bones are 30% water. You need this water in your muscles, joints, and organs to keep your body healthy. Staying hydrated helps with the absorption of nutrients in the blood and distribution of these nutrients throughout the body. Water is also essential to wash away any toxins you may have in your body that may be causing inflammation. If you are a vegan runner you will need more water than what is typically recommended.
This water bottle from Hydro Flask will keep your water hot or hold for hours and at 32 oz it carries all the water you will need for your walk/jog/run. The company, based in Oregon, supports a program called Parks for All to help take care of green spaces for all of us to enjoy.
#2 Stretch
Stretching may not be the most exciting thing on your to do list, but it is super important to make sure that you are taking care of your body. If you wake up with aches, some gentle morning stretches will help you get moving before going for a walk or jog. You also want to make sure that you stretch after any exercise routine so that you aren’t tight. Tightness of muscles may make your pain worse.
The Gaiam Yoga Mat Premium is extra thick to help you do your stretches on a softer surface which can be helpful when we are in pain. It is also less toxic than other plastic mats in the market and comes in many beautiful prints. PLUS in comes with a library of yoga videos to help you make the most of your stretches.
#3 Strength Train
Strength training is often ignored by runners that don’t see the value in building muscle, but this is a major reason why runners get hurt. Running requires a lot from your body and by strengthening your muscles, you are protecting your skeleton from injury. It is important to work on your core, legs, and even your arms.
The TRX system allows you to build muscle and strengthen your body practically anywhere. There is no need for heavy weights and you can do so many exercises. Depending on how you feel, you can modify movements to make your workouts easier or more difficult.
#4 Apply a Topical Reliever
After running and taking a shower, you may want to apply a vegan pain reliever to help soothe your tired muscles and reduce inflammation. A gentle massage can go along way to help reduce pain without affecting your liver or stomach like oral pain relievers.
The Aromalief Vegan Pain Relief Cream with 1000 MG of Hemp is great for vegan runners because it also contains plant-based Glucosamine and Chondroitin to help with your knees. It is the only cream that doesn’t source these ingredients from shellfish. Aromalief is based in Florida and helps support non-profits that protect animals.
#5 Inspiration
Staying mentally positive is an often forgotten element for recovering from a running injury. In our blog post of the mind-body connection you can read more about this.
Scott Jurek is a vegan ultra marathoner and in his book North you will find an incredible story of running the Appalachian trail and staying mentally strong to complete this feat. For most people this is not on our list of life goals, but it shows us that the human body can do amazing things and that being a vegan runner has no limits.
This blog post is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure illnesses. Please consult a medical professional.
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