Get Active, Get Organic!

An organic lifestyle has a very close bond to the outdoors so activities like running and hiking are great ways to enjoy your local environment from a slightly different perspective. Combining an active lifestyle with a healthy organic diet is actually deceptively difficult. A lot of sports nutrition foods and supplements aren't geared towards being organic, and don't tend to use the most natural ingredients and methods. It shouldn't be difficult to live and active life whilst eating well, so we've put together a list of the different food and drink to help you with your new sport or activity! We've also included a couple of other organic products which will help!

Energy is the single most important part of getting the most out of your exercise. If you haven't eaten enough, or you've eaten the wrong food, you'll find yourself struggling more than you should be. The human body is just like a machine – without fuel it simply won't function.

If you are a runner or a walker, you'll need to loads up on carbohydrates before you head out. Carbs are one of the easiest organic products to find, so you shouldn't have too many problems with this one. If you want to step your healthy diet/activity balance up to the next level, try to get your carbohydrates from sources other than wheat. Wheat is actually a big cause of inflammation in the muscles, so will fuel you on your run, but will hinder the recovery of your muscles and joints once you get back.

For exercise sessions which last more than 80/90 minutes, you'll need some extra fuel to keep you going. Sports drinks usually serve as this extra dose of energy, and their carbohydrate and electrolyte ingredients are great, but there's also a whole host of other ingredients which are far from natural. 'Clif' energy bars are a great way of re-energising when you need a little helping hand. Their bars are made from organic rolled out, which are a fantastic form of energy. A few blueberry also provide you with some antioxidants, aswell as that all important deliciousness!

The same principle applies to refreshment. Sports drinks do have some benefits, but not as your main source of hydration. With hydration, why not stick with the master? Water is always the winner in this battle. Try mineral water instead of spring water; the high mineral content will help to replce the minerals you lose when sweating.

On that note, it's important to remember that your body needs more than water after you've exercised. When you sweat, you salt and mineral level can become incredibly imbalanced. The usual symptoms of this are intense headaches and lack of concentration. A couple of handfuls of organic salted peanuts will give you a salt boost and some organic bananas and oranges should adequately replenish your vitamin levels.

Getting a good night's sleep is imperative after you've exercised. Even if you stretch afterwards, drink enough and eat enough you can still end up with a few troublesome aches and pains. If you don't have a good quality mattress, your ability to recover and replenish energy will be seriously hindered. Most people don't think of it this way, but sleep is actually more important than food. A high quality, supportive mattress is a must, even if you aren't exercising a lot (If you don't exercise, congratulations on reading this far down the article). Natural latex mattresses are the natural alternative to memory foam mattresses. The supportive nature of the mattresses, combined with their organic certification (they are made using organic cotton, organic wool and a number of other organic materials.) makes organic natural latex mattresses the perfect choice to the organic athlete!

Paying attention and understanding your body is one of the central principles behind an organic lifestyle. Looking after your joints, back and getting a good night's sleep are all great ways to ensure your body cooperates with you when you are out and about! Supportive natural latex mattresses are a great way to support your body, without all of the nasty chemicals you might find in memory foam.