Aug 29, 2016 | Health & Wellness
When you’re working out, you’re in the moment. You’re feeling the power and enjoying the adrenaline. However, the next day is a different story. It’s pretty normal for you to wake up sore and stiff after a challenging (or even light) workout. We hear a lot about muscle pain, but we have the tips and tricks you need to get back on your feet.
Here are five ways to prevent the soreness and heal it quickly:
1. Stretch Well
Stretching is an oft-overlooked aspect of exercise. No matter how you eat and live, your muscles need to be stretched. It’s best to stretch them before and after each workout as well as before bed.
2. Drink Water
Muscles need water. Dehydrated muscles lead to cramps and post-workout soreness. Hydrate before exercise, during, and especially afterward.
3. Calcium/Magnesium
This is a supplement you should look into. Calcium with magnesium feeds the muscles with what they need to grow, contract, and relax. Taking this before will aid your sleep and avoid nighttime cramping.
4. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate your muscles and deplete your body of calcium and magnesium. If you do have one of the above, drink extra water and boost your vitamins/minerals intake.
5. Heat and Eucalyptus
High-quality, non-diluted, unprocessed Eucalyptus essential oil (like our pharmaceutical-grade Eucalyptus) has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties that make it a great option when treating sore or over-exercised muscles. It can relax stiff muscles, allowing for pain relief and ease in range of motion and muscle movement. The best way to enjoy Eucalyptus is in the steam of a shower or in the heat of the sauna.
Here are some ways to apply Eucalyptus to your sore muscles:
- Add 3-5 drops of straight Eucalyptus oil directly onto sore muscles. Slowly massage into skin.
- Add 15-50 drops of Eucalyptus oil to a hot bath. The heat of the water, combined with the Eucalyptus, encourages muscles to relax and reduces next-day stiffness. For additional benefits, add Epsom salts to the water.
- The easiest option is to use our Pure Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist and spray it into the hot steam of your shower, or into the warmth of any sauna or steam room. You’ll not only enjoy the relaxation in your muscles, but you’ll also be breathing in the anti-inflammatory properties of the eucalyptus.
Leave Soreness Behind
The body has an amazing ability to heal itself when supported well through healthy lifestyle habits. Pain in the body is also a sign of something else going on, so in addition to getting relief naturally, be sure to investigate the cause with your doctor or natural medicine practitioner.
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Jan 25, 2016 | Health & Wellness
We’ve all been there for whatever reason be it an intense activity, standing all day at work or walking around an amusement park, but foot pain can be really intense. Of course, the best remedy for this is to get off your feet, but aside from kicking back and relaxing, we want to share some easy relief giving tips you can use to ease those tired and sore feet.
5 Quick Tips to Heal Foot Pain Naturally
Steam and Soak
Sometimes aching feet are simply the result of bearing too much stress on the muscles or connective tissues. The best remedy for this is a Eucalyptus foot bath. Just soak your feet in a small tub or in a store-bought foot spa with warm to hot water for 5-10 minutes. Before adding the water, add a couple sprays of our Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist to the water for a cooling effect as well as anti-inflammatory benefits. If your feet are swollen, hot, or tired, use cool water instead of warm and elevate your feet for a half hour or more after the soak.
Stretch Well
Muscles contracting or spasming are from being overworked or stressed. Stretch your feet, calves, legs, and hips to counteract this tightness. The best time to stretch is after intense activity and a warm soak when the muscles will be most relaxed.
Massage
This is always your preferred method, right? Best done after the soak and stretch, simply apply oil or lotion to your soles and massage, placing gentle thumb pressure to any sore areas of the feet. Focus on the length of the arch, from the ball of the foot to the heel. You can best feel it on the sole of your foot when you flex your toes upward.
Wear Arch Supports
For the best maintenance, be sure to use a daily arch support in your shoes. These will help decrease the shock that your feet experience with every step. The heel and ball of the foot are especially prone to soreness, and full-length arch supports will help cushion these areas. Custom-made supports are also available, offering specialized support and accommodating specific foot problems.
The arch of your foot is important to take care of since it gives form and support to the foot, which helps absorb shock when your feet hit the ground. Tightness of the inner arch can often be a root cause of heel soreness.
Check Your Shoes
Check if your shoes are a large contributor to your pain. It’s important that you choose functionality over function. These days it’s easy to find good shoes that not only support your feet but look fashionable as well, so don’t compromise. If you do have proper shoes, but they have excess wear and tear, they’re likely contributing to your sore feet. Also be sure to have your feet measured before your next shoe purchase; you’d be surprised to find out how many people are wearing the wrong sizes.
Use these tips and find relief today. There’s no reason to live with excessive foot pain anymore.
Do you have any helpful foot pain relief tips? If so, comment below and share this on social!
Oct 9, 2015 | Health & Wellness
If your body wakes up sore and stiff in the morning, we want to talk to you. First of all, waking up with sore and stiff muscles should never be considered normal. If that’s normal for you, then your body is simply getting used to having a need not met. So let’s help you with your body stiffness naturally.
How? Here are the top ways to beat morning muscle stiffness:
Beat Morning Muscle Stiffness Naturally
- Stretch: This is the first tip because it’s so necessary. No matter how you eat and live, your muscles need to be stretched. It’s best to stretch them before bed and after you wake up.
- Hydrate: Muscles need water. If your muscles are dehydrated, they can’t function smoothly and will cramp up.
- Calcium/Magnesium: This is a supplement you should definitely look into. Calcium with magnesium feeds the muscles with what they need to grow, contract well, and relax. Take before bed to fall into a restful sleep and avoid sleep cramps.
- Limit Caffeine and Alcohol: Both are incredibly dehydrating to the muscles, and both deplete your body of calcium and magnesium. If you do need to have one of the above, drink extra water and boost your vitamin-mineral intake.
- Heat and Eucalyptus: Our Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist is high quality, not processed or diluted, and has anti-inflammatory properties that soothe sore or stiff muscles. Eucalyptus Oil can help relax stiff muscles, allowing for pain relief and better range of motion. The best way to enjoy Eucalyptus is in the steam of a shower or in the heat of the sauna. Need tips on that? See below:
- Add 3-5 drops of straight Eucalyptus oil directly onto sore muscles. Slowly massage into skin. (It’s a strong oil though, and it may be best to dilute with coconut oil first until you know how your body responds).
- Add 15-50 drops of Eucalyptus oil to a hot bath. Combined with the benefits of the oil, the heat of the water encourages muscle relaxation and reduces next-day stiffness. For additional benefits, Epsom salts can be added to the water as well.
- The easiest option is to get our Eucalyptus Oil ShowerMist and simply spray it into the hot steam of your shower, or any sauna or steam room. You’ll not only enjoy the relaxation in your muscles, but you’ll also be breathing in the anti-inflammatory properties of the Eucalyptus.
Remember, the body has an amazing ability to heal itself when supported well through lifestyle and proper health habits. Pain in the body is also a sign of something else going on, so in addition to getting relief naturally, be sure to investigate the cause with your doctor or natural medicine practitioner.
Want more tips to help your body always feel the best? Then sign up for our newsletter right now!
Jan 11, 2015 | Uncategorized
Many people wonder whether to use heat or cold to treat muscle soreness. Some people say to apply heat and others say that icing is best. At Eurospa, we have helped many sore and tired bodies and we have learned that when it comes to healing muscle pain, you need both heat and cold. What does cold treatment do? First, it numbs the local pain neurons, so the sense of relief is immediate. It also reduces the local tissue temperature, causing to to ease inflammation and swelling. This works through vasoconstriction, which causes the blood vessels to constrict, reducing the blood flow and release of inflammatory mediators into the site of injury. This is especially useful for serious tissue injury and muscle strains, as you will want to reduce swelling and inflammation. (If you get a shooting pain during or immediately after an exercise -you have a muscle strain).
When you exercise, your blood vessels expand and stay that way for at least an hour afterward. Soreness occurs when lactic acid settles in your muscles through dilation of the vessels.
However, using cold alone, isn’t enough for the healing process. Too much cold will hinder the muscle’s ability to relax. This is where heat comes in. Heat relaxes the muscle, and thus contributes to faster relief of the soreness. Whether you are sore from a workout or are dealing with chronic pain, you still want to make sure you are keeping the muscle relaxed. When it comes to injuries, the muscle will be inflamed, so be sure to be using more cold than heat to make sure you don’t add to the inflammation.
The best suggestion? Actively sauna or steam room, being sure to take breaks to stand in a cold shower or sit in an ice pool. Alternating hot and cold will reduce inflammation and induce muscle relaxation for deeper healing. Adding the healing benefits of essential oils, such as our eucalyptus oil spray, will add cooling to the cells while the heat of the sauna or steam room efficiently relaxes.
Eurospa is committed to your health and over all wellness. We are happy to have provided you with natural solutions for muscle pain and healing. Get your own bottle of Eucalyptus Oil Shower Spray and start experiencing better health today!
Sep 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
If you are one to work out regularly, it’s safe to assume that you like to both look great and feel your best! If that’s true, then you’ll want to make sure you are helping your muscles recovery quickly. We know this is important to you, so we’ve compiled our list of the best ways to help your body recover after a good work out! Enjoy and Eurospa know how these tips have helped you!
STRETCH BEFORE & AFTER
Gentle stretching before AND after a workout is a key component not to be dismissed. Trust me, I’ve been there and sometimes you just don’t want to ‘waste your time’ stretching. I want to emphasize the gentle part for a minute as well. Especially before a workout, your muscles are not warmed up. This will cause them to be more tight and stiff – like a dry rubber band. Over stretching or stretching to forcefully will actually weaken the muscle, making injury more likely. Once your workout is complete – consider stretching in a sauna (still gently) and really make use of the extra heat. More about saunas below…
HYDRATE
You lose so much water during exercise and while it’s best to replace it during exercise, refilling your personal hydro-tank after exercise is a great and simple way to speed up your recovery time. Water supports every metabolic function and transfer of nutrients in the body. Having plenty of water will improve each and every bodily function. Adequate fluid replacement is even more vital for endurance athletes who lose larger amounts of water during hours of sweating and peak activity.
REFUEL
It’s SO important to make sure you eat within 60 minutes of a hard workout. You just depleted your energy stores and now it’s time to refuel them if you expect your body to recover, repair tissues, get stronger and be ready for the next challenge. Some great go-to foods for a speedy recovery are protein shakes, bananas, nut butters, hummus and red peppers, yogurt, berries, fish and all green plants. Let’s just face it – green plants are the food to eat pre and post anything!
HOT COLD
Take alternating hot and cold to the next level. The old advice of ice pack and heating pad have great purpose but are better for targeting certain areas. Try taking a really hot shower and then switching to the coldest setting for about 30 seconds (or how long you can handle it) and switching back to hot again. As well, if you have access to a steam room or sauna – go stretch in the heat for 5-10 minutes, go out and take a cold shower (or use the ice bath if it’s available) and the return to the sauna. Repeat the process 2-3 times for best results.
DID SOMEONE SAY SAUNA
Of course I did. I would almost go as far as saying that I’m one of the biggest sauna fans in the world. It’s for good reason too. The health benefits that saunas deliver make me wonder why more people don’t invest in building one in their own home! {If you DO want one built, talk to a contractor today and you’ll be on your way to better home health in no time!} But back to muscle recovery… If you’re already going to be stretching and alternating hot and cold in that gift of a sauna – enhance the experience further and add Eucalyptus oil or Spray! For the oil, mix the essential oil into another base, like almond or jojoba and you’ll quickly have a muscle recovery rub! The oil penetrates deep into the tissue (more so in the heat of the sauna) for an anti-inflammatory effect. When using the spray, simply spritz into the shower steam or the sauna/steam room. The oil in the air will then enter your lungs and be carried off to nurture the needier parts of your well-worked muscles.
You are working out and exercising to better your health and look your best. Congratulations! That’s a big commitment you should be proud of! Please take care of yourself with proper diet, rest and recovery as you live your life to it’s absolute fullest!
