I spent a lot of my life as an athlete, and during that time I learned a lot about physiology, the human body, and wellness. One aspect of fitness and wellness that I feel is too often overlooked is muscle recovery after exercise. Since getting in shape is a pretty common New Year's resolution, I wanted to share some tips to help your muscles recover from all that exercise.
1. Epsom Salt Baths - Obviously, warm baths and showers help release muscle tension. Try adding some epsom salt for additional relief. I particularly like Dr. Teal's Eucalyptus and Mint Epsom Salt, because it smells so good and helps open up your respiratory system as well.
2. Light Jogging - Muscle soreness is in part due to lactic acid build up in your muscles, and the easiest way to relieve it is to go for a light jog. It will be painful at first, but once the lactic acid starts to burn off, your legs will feel a lot better.
3. Keep Hydrated - Swelling contributes to muscle tightness also. Keep a cute water bottle with you all day to make sure you hydrating throughout the day, instead of playing catch up after your work out. Swell (no pun intended) bottles are great cause they keep water cold all day.
4. Stretch! - Hopefully this is a big DUH of a bullet point, but it's really important to take the time before and after you workout to cool down and stretch.
5. Biofreeze - Biofreeze is similar to Icy Hot, but without the warm sensation. I find that Icy Hot stings, but Biofreeze is less irritating for me. I break this out after a particularly tough workout to help relieve immediate pain and discomfort.
6. Foam Rolling - I foam roll religiously. It's pretty painful the first few times, or if you did an extra intense work out, but the more often you foam roll the less painful it is. Foam rolling is self myofascial release, so basically giving yourself a massage. If you are new to foam rolling, click here for a useful guide to foam roller exercises. Foam rolling has really helped with my flexibility and muscle tightness, as well as minimizing any soreness. You might night even realize what muscles are tight until you start rolling them out!
1. Epsom Salt Baths - Obviously, warm baths and showers help release muscle tension. Try adding some epsom salt for additional relief. I particularly like Dr. Teal's Eucalyptus and Mint Epsom Salt, because it smells so good and helps open up your respiratory system as well.
2. Light Jogging - Muscle soreness is in part due to lactic acid build up in your muscles, and the easiest way to relieve it is to go for a light jog. It will be painful at first, but once the lactic acid starts to burn off, your legs will feel a lot better.
3. Keep Hydrated - Swelling contributes to muscle tightness also. Keep a cute water bottle with you all day to make sure you hydrating throughout the day, instead of playing catch up after your work out. Swell (no pun intended) bottles are great cause they keep water cold all day.
4. Stretch! - Hopefully this is a big DUH of a bullet point, but it's really important to take the time before and after you workout to cool down and stretch.
5. Biofreeze - Biofreeze is similar to Icy Hot, but without the warm sensation. I find that Icy Hot stings, but Biofreeze is less irritating for me. I break this out after a particularly tough workout to help relieve immediate pain and discomfort.
6. Foam Rolling - I foam roll religiously. It's pretty painful the first few times, or if you did an extra intense work out, but the more often you foam roll the less painful it is. Foam rolling is self myofascial release, so basically giving yourself a massage. If you are new to foam rolling, click here for a useful guide to foam roller exercises. Foam rolling has really helped with my flexibility and muscle tightness, as well as minimizing any soreness. You might night even realize what muscles are tight until you start rolling them out!
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