Maybe she gets home and falls into bed; the next morning your nine-year-old is hobbling around like an eighty-five year old woman, complaining of pain in all sorts of weird places.
Maybe you were the top of your studio at home, but now at Ballet School the classes are really kicking your butt, and it hurts to relevé; you can't kick that soreness.
Maybe you danced in High School, but this is your first time actually dancing 8-10 hours a day with a company, and after four days you think you're going to die.
Do not fear! Put down the pain killers and try these all-natural and healthy alternatives to pain relief.
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This is number one on my list for a reason. After a long day teaching or dancing, the first thing I do when I go home is draw a hot bath (and I mean hot. I don't even use cold water in the tub).
Put about 2 cups of Epsom Salts in the bath. If you're really sweaty and want to pull some toxins out too, throw in a little bit of indian healing clay, dead sea mud, or pink himalayan salt.
If you have Peppermint essential oil, put in 2 or 3 drops of that, too (no more than that, or you'll start shivering, even though you'll be red-hot! That's a bad combination). If you don't have peppermint oil, you can get some here (this is the only kind I buy; it's pure, inexpensive, and extremely strong, and is the only thing that gets knots out of my shoulders and feet).
Or, you can throw a few bags of peppermint tea into the bath.
Other good oils to use include Rosemary (great for pulling muscle cramps out) and Lavender (for relaxation). And yes you can put them all in the bath together; they smell great. I recommend Radha beauty for all of them.
Once you get everything in the bath, wait until it's cooled enough for you to get both feet in and stand there without feeling like you're going to die. Then you can settle in for a nice soak.
Pro-tip: don't stay in an extremely hot bath for longer than 10-20 minutes. If you have to get out once in awhile and drink cold water, that's helpful to keep your body from overheating.
2. Topical Treatment
Throw out that tiger balm; there's all sorts of crap in there! use an all-natural cream, lotion, or oil blend. Arnica gel is a good option (and it's also great for bruises). I personally take peppermint oil, rosemary oil, rosehip oil, and jojoba oil, and just massage the crap out of my legs and shoulders.
3. Sweat It Out
One of the reasons you're sore is because of the lack of oxygen in the muscles; do some cardio, wear some sweat pants, and work out until you're drenched. Follow up with some foam rolling, and a nice deep stretch. It makes all the difference in the world!
4. Water.
Drink water! Your body is more water than it is anything else; keep yourself hydrated.
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| The Healthy Dancer |
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