Here’s the unfortunate reality — when you work out, sometimes you hurt afterward. If you’re an avid fitness enthusiast, chances are you’re going to pull a muscle at some point. Your muscles will frequently be sore from a hard workout. But it’s a small price to pay for a healthy heart and strong body!
So when the inevitable occurs and your muscles hurt, where do you turn for pain relief?
I’m on a quest to figure this out. I am not personally endorsing any of these products — although if any of them wanted to write me a big check, maybe I would. Ha!
- Watkins Liniment – Y’all. This stuff is the real deal. When I was in drill team in high school, my legs would hurt from all the high kicks (it was strenuous, don’t laugh) and my mom would rub Watkin’s Liniment on my legs. Worked every time! It’s really crazy — as you’re rubbing it in, it gets harder and harder and harder to rub in and then suddenly it goes totally slick. That’s how you know it’s all rubbed in.
- Penetrex – Because of the many positive reviews on Amazon, I recently bought Penetrex. It works well and I give it two thumbs up.
- Sombra Warm Therapy – The top rated product on Amazon in the category of pain relief is Sombra Warm Therapy. I’ve never used it but I heavily rely on those customer ratings to guide my purchasing decisions.
Personally, I’m a believer that there are only two ways to help pain that are truly magic — ice and sleep. Not necessarily together. But I can tell you from experience that when I hurt, if I get ice on it quickly and then ice it at least once a day, the pain gets better quickly. You know the acronym of R.I.C.E., don’t you? Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Basically, if you hurt yourself, stop what you’re doing immediately (rest), ice it and wrap it tightly, and lie down and elevate the area. And, second, get enough sleep! Sleep is when the body repairs itself and if you aren’t getting enough Zzz’s, you’re robbing your body of the opportunity to heal.
I’d love to hear what products you love for pain relief! I’m always on the hunt for the best one!