Take the "ouch" out of workouts by cooking with this spicy little root: ginger.

A new study shows that getting ample amounts of ginger every day could help decrease postworkout muscle pain by up to 25 percent.

"G" Is for Ginger
In the study, participants took about half a teaspoon of raw or heat-treated ginger daily -- or a placebo -- for 11 days. On day 8, they did a super-difficult arm workout as well. About 24 hours later, the pain levels of the ginger takers were about 25 percent lower than those in the placebo group. (Here are three other foods that fight postworkout soreness.)

Pain Be Gone
Turns out compounds in ginger have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties similar to those found in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. And those properties help inhibit enzymes and compounds involved in the pain process. Ginger may also have a dulling effect on nerves that process pain signals. (Think you know all there is to know about pain? Read this article that debunks five common pain myths.)

Avoid postworkout pain altogether by watching the right way to work out in this video from celebrity trainer Joel Harper.

RealAge Benefit

A physical activity program that builds stamina, strength, and flexibility can make your RealAge as much as 8.1 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

References

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise. Black, C. D. et al., Journal of Pain 2010 Apr 23 [Epub ahead of print]. Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger. Take the RealAge Test