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It’s weak three of training with the Sooke Boxing Club, (yes, I meant to say weak) and my body is feeling the burn.
It’s not a friendly burn either. Not like the kind when you accidentally turn the water up too high in the shower, scream “oo ooo oo!’, quickly lower the temperature and carry on. No. This is a full-blown, set your hand down on the stove-top while it’s on high heat and have a blister for weeks kind of burn. All. Over. My. Body.
In other words, I am sore.
So in this week’s column, I have decided to talk about ways to relieve muscle pain. I don’t think any of this advice is medically proven, and honestly, it probably won’t even help you. But these are some things I have done in order to survive my every-day tasks, and continue to throw “Killer” punches.
1. Take a bath:
Baths have been crucial to me throughout these past few weeks. I like to toss a little bit of epsom salt in, dim the lights, set up my laptop, put on Netflix, and just soak. It helps loosen my muscles, and relaxes me at the end of the day so I can get a good night’s sleep. Baths also help remove the smell of sweaty awfulness from my hands, which by the way is extremely hard to get off. My hands are starting to consistently smell like an NHL player’s hockey bag.
2. Stretch:
Luckily for me, I am an avid yoga-goer and stretching was already part of my day-to-day routine. For some, this may sound like a daunting task, but trust me, it’s necessary. To me, yoga is important because it helps me with balance, flexibility, and relaxes me, allowing me to be a lot less sore and a whole lot happier!
3. Protein & vitamins:
I’m not going to pretend like I know anything about either one of those things. But I do know that people who work out a lot, eat a lot of protein. Often in a powdered form, I believe, which is what my friends and I like to refer to as BRO-tein. I just eat chicken, pop Flinstones vitamins and hope that my muscles are repairing semi-quickly. But if you would like more information, just look it up on Instagram; everyone is a personal trainer on there.
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4. Warm up before you workout:
This is more of a preventative measure to avoid injuring yourself, but it will also help loosen up your muscles before your workout. In boxing, we spend approximately the first 10 minutes of every class doing intervals of jumping rope, with exercises such as push-ups, lunges and squats in between to get our heart-rate going. It works like a charm.
5. Get a massage:
If you’re like me and you’re too poor to pay over $100 for a professional massage, do not fear. This is what Youtube and your partner/relatives/friends are for. Pull up a “how to” video, and put them to work. And if they are already wizards with their hands, great. Skip the Youtube.
If no one loves you, get yourself a tennis ball and long nylon sock, sling it over your shoulder and rub up against the wall similar to the way a bear would to a tree. This trick is straight out of my handbook, because as you could have guessed, not only am I poor but I am also unloved.
6. Use an anti-inflammatory cream such as Voltaren or Icy-Hot:
I think this one is pretty self-explanatory, rub that stuff where it hurts.
If none of these things help, I’m sorry to say but you are just going to have to ride it out in style, or take advice from someone who is more informed. I am a reporter, attempting to be a boxer, but I am certainly not a doctor.
To get involved with the Sooke Boxing Club, contact Ellen Connor at 250-642-7111.
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Dawn (Killer) Gibson writes every other week on her exploits at the Sooke Boxing Club, as part of the All-Female Boxing Challenge.
