Aches, Pains, & Ancient Grains

Caroline Ejzak, News Editor
May 30, 2019

Exercise provides you with great benefits like fat loss, building lean muscle, improved brain function, and various other long term health benefits.

If you workout and push yourself while doing it, soreness is inevitable. Especially after a workout session incorporating HIIT, like the one from my previous post(; To tell you in technical, science terms,

“When you take your workout to the next level, and push yourself beyond what feels easy and comfortable, you are actually causing tiny tears in your muscle. The more intense the training, the greater the amount of damage” (bodyrock.tv)

Here are some ways in which you can lessen the pain:

Stretch before and after your workout.
Hydrate before you Die-drate
Work out with correct form.

Muscle treatments the day after:

Use your sore muscles. Modified of course, don’t want to hurt yourself just get out the kinks.
Ice during recovery.
Indulge in some self-massage.

Ancient Grains

This may seem lame and I may get grief for this, but, I love ancient grains, all of them: farro, barley, quinoa, bulgur, teff, freekeh, and many more.

A benefit to these is all the different recipes and concoctions that can be made with different veggies and these grains to form a nutritious, satisfying meal.

Though not all of these grains are gluten free, at least they’re a healthier alternative. For me and other GF members, these grains are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates.

Though I try to be gluten free as much as I possibly can, if I’m at a family party or during the holidays, I’m likely to indulge on some home baked goods. Since I don’t have a severe allergy to gluten, I can afford to do this kind of thing. It does, however, make me feel bloated and sleepy for the rest of the day. That is why, for the most part, no bread.

According to the Whole Grains Council, they generally deﬁne ancient grains loosely as; “grains that are largely unchanged over the last several hundred years.”

I define ancient grains as any grain that is particularly difficult to pronounce.

Here is a recipe for this beautiful “sesame kale glow bowl”. This recipe is gluten free and vegan, as well as being one of the best grain bowls I’ve ever made. I did sub tofu for tempeh because tempeh scares me lol.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

1 tablespoon coconut oil/sesame oil

1/2 of a red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups kale, de-stemmed + torn

2 cups broccoli florets (about 1 small head)

4 ounces of tempeh, chopped/crumbled

Tamari-ginger sauce

2 tablespoons tamari/low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

juice from 1/2 – 1 lime, depending on your liking