How to Use Lavender and Chamomile for Better Gym Performance

What about Apigenin? That’s the active compound in chamomile. A lot of the 'biohacker' types are taking it in pill form now for sleep.

Apigenin is solid. It’s basically concentrated chamomile power. I prefer the tea though, there’s something about the ritual of a hot drink that helps the brain shut down.

Does anyone use lavender balm on sore muscles? I’ve seen some 'recovery balms' that feature it alongside menthol.

I use one! It’s great for the 'psychological' side of soreness. It doesn't fix a torn muscle, but it feels cooling and smells great.

I find lavender and chamomile are great for when you're traveling for competitions. Hotel rooms always smell weird and the beds are hit or miss. Bringing a little lavender spray makes it feel like home and helps me get that pre-race sleep.

Totally agree. I did that for a cycling event in France last year. Saved my life.

Is there any specific 'strength' of chamomile I should look for? Some of the grocery store stuff tastes like flavoured water.

Look for 'whole flower' chamomile. The tea bags with 'dust' inside are useless. You want to see the actual little daisy-like flowers in your infuser.

And steep it for at least 10 minutes. Most people pull the bag out after 2 minutes. You need time to extract those oils!

10 minutes! I’ve been doing it wrong. No wonder it wasn't working as well as I hoped.

I tried the 10-minute steep tonight. Wow, the taste is much stronger, almost earthy. Feel very chilled out right now.

Welcome to the club, Mike! It’s the ultimate cheap supplement hack.

I’m going to try mixing some lavender into my Epsom salt bath tomorrow after my hill sprints. Sounds like a plan.

Make sure you mix the essential oil with a carrier oil or the salts first, LondonLad. Don't just drop it in the water or it’ll float on top and might irritate your skin!

Good catch. That would have been an awkward gym session the next day.

I feel much more confident about using these now. It's nice to have 'gentle' tools in the kit alongside the heavy stuff like creatine and caffeine.

Balance is key, Hannah. You can't be 'on' 24/7. These herbs help you flip the switch to 'off'.

Agreed. My recovery scores on my tracker have actually gone up since I started the evening tea ritual. Data doesn't lie!

I’m definitely a convert. Sleep was 10/10 last night.