Potions to facilitate Sports

I’m talking about natural potions made from pure plant extracts - and not from tubes of chemical-laden synthetic product that have been sitting in a hot shop for months on end.  I love essential oils and the benefits that they bring.  They are very complex, with up to 300 different chemicals per oil.  Essential oils are highly concentrated and must be administered carefully as certain oils are contraindicated through various medical conditions, or at certain times in our lives.  So seek professional advice when using them and refer to a reputable handbook.  Essential oils are our allies, the benefits that they bring are numerous and range from the physical to the emotional.

 

 

I have been developing a blend for a muscle rub.  I run and I regularly see runners in my Sports Massage clinic.  I am aware of the importance of keeping our muscles in good working order.  Post run, we need to make sure that we cool down effectively, stretch appropriately, re-fuel and provide our bodies with optimal conditions for post exertional recovery.  This is where the oils come in. 

I have been trialling the blend with a running coach and runners from the local running club.  The brief for the blend can be seen below:

·         Anti-inflammatory

 

·         Refreshing

 

·         Analgesic

 

·         To aid circulation

 

·         To stimulate lymph

Feedback from my clients has been very positive, with reports of recovery facilitation, inflammation reduction and an enhanced sensation of well-being.  The product comes in an aloe vera gel, or a sweet almond oil base.  The oil is good for self-massage and the gel feels extra refreshing.  Keep the product in the refrigerator to make it feel even more refreshing.

 

 

Here are some post exercise essential oil essentials:

 

 

Spike lavender, or Lavender – great for muscular aches and pains, strains and bruises.  Lavender will help you to ‘come down’ after great exertion.

 

 

Chamomile – pain relieving and anti-inflammatory.

 

 

Ginger – warming and pain relieving.

 

 

Clove oil – also warming and pain relieving.

 

 

Sweet marjoram – muscular aches, pains and stiffness.

 

 

 

Adding essential oils to soya milk to aid dispersion in the bath

 

Choose two or three different essential oils and add a total of 4 drops to 10ml of a non-scented lotion or some aloe gel.  Add a total of 6 drops to ¼ cup of milk, mix and then add to the bath.  Fellow vegans, you’ll be pleased to hear that soya milk can be used!  The fat in the milk helps to disperse the essential oils – this stops them floating on the top of the bath water!  If you are having a therapeutic bath, wash first and then refill the bath for your therapy soak.  Add cold water to a bowl and add 6 drops of essential oil, then float a muslin cloth over the top to soak up the oils prior to applying to sore areas.  I have used this technique to good effect with competing horses – using aromatherapy on horses is amazing!

 

Please contact me for more information.  Bespoke blends can be created to suit your individual needs.  Have a warming blend to condition the muscles prior to sport, a recovery blend to soothe and reduce inflammation post activity, a relaxation blend to help you rest the night before a competition, or a rocket blend to stimulate you for your race.

 

If you live close by and you would like to trial my new muscle rub blend, please get in touch  - I would be happy to see you!

 

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It's goodbye from me, your dedicated Sports Massage Therapist and qualified Aromatherapist

Prevention is better than cure! - Say no to Sports Injuries

This is written in the remit of a sports massage therapist and a runner.  The points are not in any order of relevance.  Most of the information is transferable to a number of disciplines.

Make sure that your training regime is not increased dramatically and beyond your capabilities.  Under these circumstances, muscles tend to get very fatigued, way too tight and micro tears can form impairing tissue function.  A longer recovery time is then necessary, which takes you away from your programme and sets you further back.  You are more likely to sustain injuries when you train, or attempt to compete, way in advance of your conditioning.

Is your warm up adequate?  What is your activity? Are you about to embark upon your long run of the week?  Are you about to do your sprints?  The latter would require at least 20 minutes of warming up.  Muscles tend to tear when they are moved with great force prior to them being made pliable.  I recommend getting your heart rate up, performing dynamic (moving) stretches that mimic the movements you shall be making, gently jogging and then building up the speed.  A slow longer run may be a little more forgiving to the un-primed body.

Is your cool down adequate?  Did you sprint and then grind to a complete halt?  Is your heart rate still elevated?  You need to allow your heart rate to come down and the fitter you are, the faster this shall happen.  You can then think about some static stretches – non-moving stretches.  These help the muscle fibres to move freely, ensuring that there is no stickiness between the fibres that would  hinder their contraction and lengthening.

Ensure you stretch appropriately.  That means not bouncing, not stretching beyond what feels comfortable, holding for 10-20 seconds, executing the correct technique and form for the relevant muscle group, and only stretching once warmed up.  Check out these stretching tips.

Train for your chosen activity appropriately.  Consult a running coach for advice on building up a programme suitable for your training needs.  Make sure that your programme helps you to develop the skills that you are going to need.  Your stamina, endurance, speed, muscle conditioning and your mental disposition need to be challenged adequately.

Have the right gear for the right activity.  Wear the correct clothes.  Be safe and be seen if you are running in poor light – fluorescents by day and luminous clothes by night, with a suitable strap on light.  Have lightweight windproof, breathable and waterproof jackets for wet/windy weather.  Insulating layers will be required for the cold.  Technical wicking moisture away fabrics will be required in milder weather.  Don’t over dress, unless you are conditioning your body to accept high temperatures.

Wear the right shoes the right way.  Are your laces done up properly?  Are your laces tied too loosely or too tight?  Are you wearing trail shoes for slippery and uneven surfaces?  Are your shoes suitable for your feet? Are your shoes the correct size?  Consult with a professional running coach.

How is your technique coming along?  Have you had some professional help for your running form?  Good technique reduces the chances of injury and reduces the amount of energy expenditure during activity.  More energy means better breathing, posture and longer runs.  

Are you overtraining?  It is important to perform quality training that prepares you adequately.  What is the point of excessive training that increases wear and tear, heightens the chances of injury and side-tracks you from your schedule because of excessive fatigue?

Watch those cambers, they can put pressure on your knees. 

Don’t slip up – watch the terrain, especially as you get fatigued.  Run with lights, or by good moonlight, just make sure you can see what’s underfoot.

Is the caffeine making you jittery?   Too much caffeine can make you uncoordinated and accident prone.  The effects can be similar to drinking too much alcohol.

Are you fuelled adequately?  Do your muscles have the energy required of them for the demands about to be placed on the body? Are you hydrated?

Eat within 30 minutes post activity.  This is the window of opportunity that many fail to take advantage of.  Your muscles will love you back and repair more effectively if you adhere to this tip.  You may suffer from fatigued and needlessly painful muscles post exercise otherwise.

Oh, and I nearly forgot, find yourself a good Sports Massage Therapist and keep those muscles in tip top sporting condition!  Eva Evangelou, your dedicated Sports Massage Therapist.

Happy safe running!  Liked what you saw?  Join us at LSM for updates and special offers.

Metaboreflex - want to improve your PB? Read on...

I recently watched a webinar about breathing in sport and it really struck a chord with me.  There are a variety of muscles utilised in the breathing process and they need to be trained to perform at their optimum – just as all muscles do.  As babies we all breathed effectively, but this can change over the years.  Those who performed cardiovascular activities as teenagers are at an advantage with respiratory muscle conditioning as adults.

By improving our breathing, we can improve our PBs and maximise our potential.  It is the muscles that draw breath in (inspiratory muscles) that need to be exercised.  The aero position in cycling and the pressure of water for swimmers compromises one’s ability to draw air.  When we exercise, our breathing muscles become fatigued and this affects our performance in many ways.  In runners, fatigue can impair running form and lead to excessive amounts of energy being lost.  There is also a safety mechanism that comes in to play when our breathing muscles become too fatigued – it is called the metaboreflex.  Have you ever felt as if you could continue to perform at your chosen sport, but just felt dead in the legs?  This metaboreflex cuts the blood supply to the legs when your breathing muscles get way too tired.  Now, that’s not going to facilitate anyone’s performance!

The good news is that the threshold for the metaboreflex can be changed, blood flow distribution can be optimised and one’s rate of perceived exertion can be lowered.  The even better news is that there are clinical trials to prove the effectiveness of strengthening our inspiratory muscles.  In fact, the time trials showed that cyclists in the aero position performed 4.6% faster.  There are two ways that we can achieve this kind of improvement – by working at our maximal (the trials needed 53 minutes two times per week, for 6 weeks, for a 4.9% improvement in speed), or by using a gadget called the POWER breathe POWER breathe.  This is my new toy!  The POWER breathe requires 5 minutes of use two times per day, for 6 weeks.  This means that training regimes don’t need to be interrupted and time/energy can be managed more effectively.

Ironmen and women even have a limited edition of this lung exercising gadget for their even more demanding needs.  Imagine increasing your speed by 4.6% over  a period of 6 weeks…

The person behind this wonderful research is Alison McConnell from Brunel University Alison McConnell. 

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I am off to do my evening set of 30 breaths...be back again soon!