A Brief Guide to Relax Your Inner Athlete

2012 is certainly the year for sport. So far we have been treated to the Euros, Wimbledon and with the Olympics just around the corner; it’s hard to get away from images of athletes in peak physical condition to make us feel bad about our ever growing bellies.

We’re sure that at some point over the last couple of months you have gained some inspiration and attempted a jog to the corner shop, drank a protein shake or kicked a football so badly it would make your Nan blush.

Either way, the journey to your summer six pack may have been haltered by laying dormant over the winter months, having a crack at some exercise, realising you’re way out of your depth and ultimately picking up an injury.

It’s sure to say one thing we can all do the same as athletes is relax; and with so many scientific ways to get us back to our peak performance, it would be rude not to give them a go.

Ice bath

Firsts the worst, seconds the best and thirds a whirlpool bath and then another really nice one. Yes, the ice bath is the least appealing form of recovery, so we thought we’d get it over and done with.

Ice baths take around 15 minutes and are between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius. Once you have filled your bath with 2-3 bags of shop bought ice and ran the cold tap until full, the initial 2 minutes of submersion is the most horrifying.

After a couple of minutes of moaning, thinking of England and outright screaming you are finally on the road to recovery as the ice cold water tightens your blood vessels and reduces swelling.

Wimbledon star Andy Murray enjoying his ice bath

Stay submerged for around 15 minutes and on escape you will soon feel a difference in your muscles and also feel as if you have been hit by a tranquiliser dart, as the bath will help you fall asleep with in the following hour.

Epsom salt

Far less traumatic and a great alternative to the ice bath, adding Epsom salts to a bath provides our body with much needed Magnesium.

Here’s for the ‘sciencey’ bit. Magnesium is the forth most important positive ion in the body (hang in there) and we need it to help pas toxic material and increase muscle tone.

By adding Epsom salts to your bath after a work out, you will charge your body with a boost of Magnesium, which will aid recovery, prevent arthritis, decrease the chance of heart disease and doesn’t require 3 bags of ice you will be pleased to hear.  

Whirlpool bath

Moving on to more luxurious recovery aids, whirlpool baths are becoming increasingly more popular and affordable.

Jacuzzi Hexis Whirlpool Bath available at Bathroom City

No longer seen as a major extravagance and more a legitimate option for any home, the soothing baths give you a high quality hydro massage on tap (sorry).

If you are continuously spooning footballs, slipping on banana skins or are a genuine athlete, then the amount of money spent on ice, massages and Epsom salts per year could render this purchase a worthy investment and an enjoyable one at that.

Whirlpool hydro massage eases your muscles and increases you circulation, allowing cells to receive more oxygen (more science, sorry) and feels lovely (important bit).

 Jacuzzi

The market for Jacuzzis has began to span further than millionaires, dodgy night club owners and people from the 70’s.

Finally the Jacuzzi is being deemed a sensible purchase for family homes and why not? They’re relaxing, fun and great for the muscles of our inner athlete.

Perfect for concentrating on certain muscles, the Jacuzzis warm, vigorous bubbling can help people with arthritis, get the blood flowing (helping circulation) and help muscles slowly rebuild after injury, giving them a just enough movement to begin strengthening.

Why not come to our showroom and try out our huge range of whirlpool baths and Jacuzzis to see whether these products suit your lifestyle?

Jacuzzi's aren't just for holidays and health spas