74/365 Massage Your Muscle Cramps Away

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night with a muscle cramp or "Charlie horse" in your leg? It's a terrible feeling that could be due to dehydration, low potassium, low sodium, low carbohydrate levels, or a lack of stretching.

In order to remedy the situation, try any and all of these:
- stretch the muscle that is ailing you
- massage, squeeze, or knead the muscle; massage the tendons (the tissue that attaches your muscle to bone) of your muscle
- apply pressure to the trigger points, the spots that feel very tense, for a few seconds
- have a banana or salty snack
- drink a glass of water

The best way to prevent muscle cramps in the first place is to stretch very well after exercise and to stay hydrated.

In health,

Lauren

58/365 The Stick is Superior!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

After talking about it and wanting it, my dear boyfriend Kelby gave me the Stick...

It's one of those products that make you ask yourself, why on earth didn't I think of this? Alas, The Stick beat you to it. This product is a device used by elite athletes, Olympians, professional athletes, and people like you and me. It is essentially a rod that has giant, 1 inch spindles that you can use on yourself or someone else to roll out the knots and relieve trigger points in your muscles. You can do this before, during, or after activity.

The manufacturers claim that, "The Stick improves strength, increases flexibility, extends endurance, accelerates recovery time, reduces muscle soreness and stiffness, and prepares and flushes muscles from rigors of activity." It's able to do this because the spindles can penetrate deep into the muscle tissue. The Stick massages out all the kinks and can physically remove byproducts of bio energetics (the processes that make ATP which fuel your cells especially while you exercise) which would otherwise result in stiffness and soreness.

This is not to say that you shouldn't stretch before and after exercise or that you shouldn't warm up or cool down. This is merely a tool to enhance your preparation for, performance of, and recovery from exercise. If you get the chance, give it a whirl because it's awesome.

I seriously love it. I went running this morning and used it before and after. My muscles feel great, not stiff or sore at all. There are other products out there like the Tiger Tail and the GoFit Massage Roller. I can't vouch for those. I guess the point is that we should all get massages; The Stick is an awesome way to get it done.

In health,

Lauren

23/365 Ma-Ma-Massage

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I think that any time is a good time for a massage. There are many psychological benefits to having a massage. Naturally, you will be relaxed and feel good from the touch of another person, especially if that person is a loved one. Coaches have encouraged athletes to have massages post-exercise to decrease fatigue, increase blood flow through muscles, and help muscles recover faster. Articles from the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal suggest that this isn't really true but that there are other benefits to having a massage.


After a hard work out, we get that sore feeling either later in the day or 24-72 hours after our exercise. Exercise scientists at Ithaca College found that massages decreased the intensity of DOMS as well as affected the participants' perception of soreness (Hilbert, Sforzo, and Swensen S123). One study stated that massages help increase strength and flexibility after 10 weeks of therapy (Kokkonen, and Allred 47) . However, other studies disagree and there isn't much evidence to support their claim.

Something neat is how massages affect your metabolism. This is how much energy you burn when you're resting, sleeping, exercising, whatever. One study showed that metabolism increases while a person is getting a massage as well as 15 minutes after it is finished  (Pocklington, and Repovich S72). How wonderful! You burn calories and feel great just by lying there and having someone massage you.

So find your boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, masseuse, or whoever. Ask them for a massage and treat them to one too. You'll both feel relaxed, refreshed, less sore and limber.

In health,

Lauren

Hilbert, J E, G A Sforzo, and T Swensen. "The Effects of Massage on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 33.5 (2001): S123. Print. 

Kokkonen, J, and J Allred. "The Effects Of Chronic Sports Massage On Strength And Flexibility." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 34.5 (2002): 47. Print.

Pocklington, A J, and W E. S. Repovich. "The Effects of Massage on Metabolism." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 34.5 (2002): S72. Print.