The Best Essential Oils for Working Out: Effective Exercise

If you love natural alternatives and want to enhance your workout experience while keeping your body at peak performance, the best essential oils for exercising are about to become your best friends. 

Whether you love to hit the trails, lift heavy weights at your neighborhood gym, or zen out on your mat, essential oils can help motivate your best workout experience yet. 

In this article, we’re diving into the top essential oils for energy, pre-, and post-workout care, muscle pain, inflammation, and more. Keep reading to discover some of the top oils for exercise and how to use them. 

Essential Oils for Exercise

Pre-Workout 

Pre-Workout Muscle Massage

Before an intense workout, it’s important to warm up your muscles. So first things first! Try using essential oils with warming properties to get your muscles ready for your workout. 

Essential Oils for Warming Muscles:  

• Black pepper oil 
• Frankincense oil 
• Clove oil 
• Ginger oil

To Use: 

1. Mix 1-2 drops of essential oil with ½-1 teaspoon of coconut oil.  
2. Massage onto muscle areas that you are going to be working out the most.

Pre-Workout Energy Boost 

Instead of reaching for a sugary, caffeinated pre-work drink, try one of the oldest tricks in the books: inhaling the best essential oils for energy.

Essential oils are an effective way to boost energy and mood levels before a workout naturally. If you ever feel like you’re in a workout rut and are not in the mood to head out for the run you promised yourself you would go on, oils can support you. 

Essential Oils for Motivation: 

• Peppermint 
• Wild orange 
• Lemongrass 
• Cypress oil 

These invigorating oils will put the pep in your step that you need to burn out a great workout. 

To Use: 

1. Inhale directly from the bottle. 
2. Rub one top on the back of your neck.  
3. Diffuse 5 drops in a diffuser and inhale deeply for 5 minutes before starting your workout.  

Post-Workout 

Post-Workout Cooling Muscle Massage

After a good workout, using cooling oils can help relieve soreness and speed up the healing process. Essential oils have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antispasmodic properties that make them one of the most effective natural remedies for relieving muscle pain and promoting healing. 

Essential Oils for Cooling Muscles 

• doTERRA Deep Blue soothing blend 
• Blue Tansy
• Peppermint  
• Clary Sage 
• Sandalwood 
• Eucalyptus 

To Use: 

1. Combine 2-3 drops of oil of choice with ½-1 teaspoon of carrier oil and apply to areas of concern. Massage. 
2. Dilute a roller bottle with 10-15 drops of oil and fill the rest with fractionated coconut oil. Roll onto areas of concern after a workout. 

Post-Workout Rest and Reset

After a long, tiring workout, it’s important to rest and allow your body to reset fully. Essential oils have powerful calming and sedative effects that can help put your body in rebuild mode. Whether you’re a bath girl, a couch and read guy, or a do absolutely thing just-sit-there-and-be-person—there’s an essential oil blend for you. 

Essential Oils for Resetting: 

• Lavender 
• Roman Chamomile Oil 
• doTERRA Balance 
• Sandalwood 
• doTERRA Serenity 

To Use: 

• Diffuse 5 drops of essential oil/combine two together and inhale deeply. 
• Draw a bath and mix 10 drops of essential oil with 1 cup of Epsom salt and mix well 
• Mix 2-3 drops of oil with 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and massage all over. 
• Create a foot bath with ½ cup of Epsom salts and 5 drops of oil. Let feet soak. 

Now that you know the best essential oils to use for a workout, are you ready to get moving?!