Sore Muscle Remedies Straight From The Dance Floor

Yesterday you decided to take that second kickboxing class at the gym or run that extra 5 miles (uphill!) and now you’re hating life. Your whole body is sore and just the thought of getting out of bed to walk to the kitchen makes you cringe. Believe me, I feel your pain.

Dancers rehearse several hours a day and are constantly pushing their bodies to extreme limits. Chronic soreness is the norm. As you can imagine, a common topic of conversation in studio is sore muscle remedies. We love to swap techniques!

I surveyed the scene the other day in class and compiled a list of sore muscle remedies that we all use and swear by. Here are the top five holistic remedies:

1.) Tiger Balm– a natural alternative to IcyHot, this rub tingles and warms up those sore areas. Tiger Balm works wonders! I used it to get through an ankle injury last year..a must have that you can throw in a gym bag or purse.

2.) Arnica Gel– another natural rub that utilizes the power of herbs to soothe your muscles. I have friends that swear by Arnica and prefer it over Tiger Balm because it doesn’t have a strong smell.

3.) Epson Salt Bath– buy a big bag of this special salt and dump a few cups into your bath. It’s available in pretty much any convenience store and will have your muscles relaxed in no time.

4.) Movement– moving and lightly stretching sore muscles is essential the day after a heavy workout, even though it might be the last thing you want to do. Otherwise the muscles will tighten up and feel super stiff the next time your active. Light stretching will help get rid of the lactic acid build up that causes the soreness and moving will pump oxygenated blood to the muscles.

5.) Drink Water– drink plenty of water to keep your cells hydrated. Avoid caffeine that will only dehydrate your muscles more.

To help prevent muscle soreness from the get go, always stretch before and after a workout. Breathing properly during your workout is invaluable! Exhaling all your air completely helps get rid of toxic build up and CO2. As Joseph Pilates always said, “you have to out the air to in the air!”

When all else fails, schedule a massage! Oh Yeah!!