There’s nothing better than a great workout.
Abi, our founder, enjoys orienteering, many of our team are yoga devotees and one is even training to do the Three Peaks challenge this year (climbing the three highest mountains in the UK in three days).
It’s fair to say a love of exercise is hard-wired into the DNA of Odylique.
But none of us loves the feeling of tired muscles quite as much. It’s one thing to run up a hill as fast as you can. It’s quite another to feel the effects for days afterwards.
There are many products on the market designed to support post-workout recovery, but a cursory look at the ingredients highlights how harsh many are. Lanolin, alcohols to cause the ‘tingle’. Comedogenic ingredients, like paraffin and mineral oil.
Muscle repair shouldn’t come with an additional cost. The good news is, we have organic skincare solutions for muscle recovery that don’t also harm the skin.
Whether you’re training for a marathon or doing a couch-2-5k, and when used in partnership with our expert, tried and tested recovery techniques, you’ll be back to sport and activity with the least downtime possible:
Massage:
Nothing helps tight muscles better than a deep tissue massage. You can see a professional but there are some great techniques at home that will support rapid recovery
a. Work in the direction of your heart: Warm a muscle repair oil in your hands and apply firm strokes to the sore area, in the direction of your hand. Using a hand-over-hand motion, apply firm, but not painful pressure to the muscle.
b. Know your pressure points: Sometimes we develop sore areas because the fascia of the muscle contracts. Acupressure techniques, like those shown here, can help release the pain.
c. Get a tennis ball: Using a tennis ball to lie on can help to apply pressure to targeted muscles. Especially good behind the shoulders, under your foot arch and on sore calves, simply lean against a wall and use your body to hold the ball up and roll it over the tenderness.
Our Muscle Ease massage oil is a powerful aromatherapeutic blend of essential oils in a nourishing virgin olive, coconut and sunflower base. Loved by athletes and gardeners alike, it contains warming black pepper essential oil - giving a scent reminiscent of ‘Deep Heat’ (but without the petrochemicals).
Heat Treatment or Ice or Both:
When you have an injury, the sage old advice is to use an ice pack - 5 minutes on a fresh injury, 10 minutes on an older niggle. For general muscle fatigue, particularly if you’re stiff in the mornings, heat can also be wonderfully restorative. If you’re feeling tense across your lower back, a hot water bottle is the best way to ease the ache rapidly.
Ice Baths - the Best Post-Workout Recovery
Not for the faint hearted, but the best way to recover quickly from a hard workout is a very brief (up to three minutes) dip in water as cold as you can take it. This is common practice among elite athletes but has great benefits for the amateur sports person too. You can follow your icey encounter with a good soak in a hot bath with Epsom salts, which are rich in magnesium.
Add some reviving essential oils to help you lift your energy levels and aid mood recovery.
Treat your Cracked Feet:
No matter which sport you do, chances are, your feet are going to take a real beating. Running and other constant impact sports can leave the balls of our feet, heels and outer edges rough, tough and crevassed!
We love our Ultra Rich Cream for hard working feet. It’s incredibly nourishing, packed with natural ingredients that work to soothe and moisturise deeply. The olive & coconut oils and shea butter penetrate those hardened layers of skin, softening them and promoting cell regeneration underneath.
For best results, preferably after a bath, simply coat your feet in a thick layer and either roll the feet over your trusty tennis ball, or work over the muscles.
N.B. Ultra Rich makes a good all-over massage balm if you don’t happen to have any massage oil handy.
Ultra Rich also works incredibly well to help protect from Blisters. We’ve some hiking friends who SWEAR by it before lacing up their boots and it’s great to use post run to prevent dryness.
You can also apply a generous coating before donning a wetsuit, or wild swim socks, as a barrier cream to help prevent chafing and soreness.
And finally, Ultra Rich can help protect your lips and face from the wind and elements - not too much as it is well, rich, but we have customers in Scandinavia who swear by its protective qualities. - Ultra Rich is your all round sports friend!
Make Time to Rest:
No matter how arduous your training regime, your body cannot do the vital process of rebuilding if you don’t rest. DOMS (the delayed muscle pain you get after a hard workout) are the result of microtears in your muscles.
As these heal, the muscles get stronger, but you won’t heal well if you don’t pay attention to resting and recovery.
During rest, use your massage oil as much as you feel necessary, try some gentle stretches or light walking to avoid stiffness and seizing and drink as much water as you can.
We’d love to see you hard at work on your fitness plans – tag us @odylique on Instagram and Facebook and we’ll send our favourites a recovery treat to say thank you!