An Athlete's Guide to Recovery
I have to be honest: I love exercising and staying active, but the worst part about it all is how sore, tight, and achy my muscles get not only after a hard workout, but even sometimes during recovery workouts. I am absolutely positive that I am not alone in my sentiments that sore muscles, achy joints, and giant knots in your muscles can really hinder an exercise or workout. I will also be the first to admit that it has not always been a priority for me to take the time to stretch and take care of my muscles because lets be real, it can be time-consuming. Alas, it needs to be done and the only way you can truly improve as an athlete and even to maintain your health is to take care of the body you live in. So here are some of my favorite, effective (and easy) recovery must-haves that will be your favorites, too!
I have tried so many different deep-tissue massagers and foam rollers, but none have given my muscles the recovery they need quite like the BodyPro percussive massager. The massager comes with four attachment heads which can be used to target different areas and muscle groups (and the BodyPro comes with a guide on which head to use where to use it). It also has 5 different speeds which you can change at a literal push of a button. The best part about the BodyPro (aside from the pain relief it offers) is the fact that it charges quickly and can be used up to 4 hours per charge (it lasts me quite a few weeks on one charge even after using it every evening for about 15-20 minutes). It is also lightweight at 2.2lbs and offers a 105 degree angled tilt so you can reach your back or other hard-to-reach areas. If you are not already sold on it, let me add this, it is incredibly quiet at about 50 decibels which makes it compatible with any exercise, any lifestyle and any recovery.
Thermotech Digital Moist Heating Pad
Nothing helps your muscles more than heat therapy (at least nothing helps my muscles more than heat therapy). Heat therapy can be utilized to not only aide in muscle recovery, but it also works to reduce the risk of injury in the muscle. Obviously, we do not want to begin healing our bodies once they have already been hurt, so be proactive and use this incredible moist heating pad to warm and soothe your muscles. It uses the moisture in the air around you to get just the right amount of hot to make your muscles heal. It comes with 4 adjustable temperatures (ranging from 113 to 166 degrees Fahrenheit) and four time settings (ranging from fifteen minutes to a full hour to ensure a complete recovery.
Sometimes my soreness from exercise goes beyond just my muscles and it goes into my joints. As an avid runner, my knees have their fair-share of issues just based upon the level of impact that I put them through. If you can understand joint pain, then look no further for a great joint-pain relief. CBD has been all the rage more recently with new studies suggesting that CBD might help support anxiety, depression, and aid in pain relief (please see more information on CBD here). Our Source CBD balm comes in two strengths and works wonders for pain relief in my joints. The ingredients are all-natural and the smell is light and pleasant: it smells like lavender and eucalyptus, so not only is it soothing to your muscles, it is soothing to your mind. It is also made with beeswax, so it absorbs quickly into your skin, giving you all of the moisture and relief with none of the annoying, oily residue that other topical creams can leave behind.
At the end of the day, we need to take care of our bodies, and no matter how much exercise you do you are worth splurging on nice products to protect your body and your health. The products listed here are things that us at Source Ortho swear by, but if you have any questions on any of our other many products, please reach out to us and ask as many questions as you want! Let us make the year 2020 the year of health, redemption and self-care!