How to Keep Post-Workout Soreness At Bay - The Easy Way!

Arbonne's Phytosport After Workout

2018 was my year of rebooting my body and building up strength again.   I joined a gym halfway through the year and go every second day.

Now if you are a gym-goer you'll know that after a particularly good workout you can feel quite sore  over the following days!   I remembered that when I was a couple of decades younger and was 'gyming it' I would take BCAAs to help reduce and/or stop the soreness.

I was really happy when I found that Arbonne had a Phytosport range that included their After Workout - guess what one of the ingredients were?  BCAAs!  I knew this would help and the fact that it's a sachet that you mix with water to make a drink is even better because you need to keep your water intake up.

What's in Arbonne's Phytosport After Workout?

So what exactly is in this product and how do they help is probably what you're all wondering.

Phytosport After Workout Sachet

Branched-chain amino acids, commonly known as BCAAs are one of the key ingredients.  To explain how they work let me tell you what happens when you work your muscles.   The muscle fibres actually pull apart, when you stop exercising they have to go back together.   It's actually this action that causes people to develop bigger muscles, but the time when they are knitting back together is when you can experience muscle soreness.

Where BCAAs come in is that they help the muscles to knit together faster thereby supporting muscle repair while also alleviating muscle soreness.

Now a side effect of exercising is that your body produces something called free radicals.  Free radicals can cause aging - I once heard someone talk about them with this analogy; if your body was a car, free radicals would be the rust!

This is why when people exercise a lot they're encouraged to increase the intake of anti-oxidants either through their diet or supplementation.   In After Workout there are also anti-oxidants formulated from pomegranate.

Also included are calcium, magnesium and vitamin B12. 

How to Use Phytosport After Workout

When you buy this supplement it comes in a box full of sachets, you add the contents of one sachet to approximately 500ml of water and mix.   The drink is a mixed berry flavor and has a pink color as you can see in this photo of me.

Louanne with her After Workout Drink

I have just finished my usual circuit PLUS started a running program when this photo was taken so I knew I needed to have something to stop myself from feeling sore the next day!

It even tastes nice, which is true of all three of the Phytosports range (yes I use all of them!).

What Isn't In Phytosport After Workout?

Sometimes what makes a product great is just as much about what isn't in it as what is in it!   This sports drink is certified vegan and also has the BSCG certified drug-free stamp of approval.

All of Arbonne's products are also gluten-free.   The After Workout contains no artificial colours, flavours, or sweeteners.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing 3 Natural Ways to Relieve a Headache

Headaches are no fun, but did you know that you don't have to reach for your bottle of asprin or paracetamol/tylenol when you feel one coming on. 

There are a number of natural remedies that you can try first.

I'm going to review 3 different ways to help relieve a headache that I have tried myself and have found successful. 

I have studied aromatherapy and herbology in the past, but I am not a doctor so if you have persistent headaches please consult your medical practitioner.

Using Aromatherapy to Ease a Headache

A very effective way to ease a headache is with lavender oil.   Now if you headache is caused by stress then relieving your stress levels is a great idea so check out this article -

Reviewing How Aromatherapy Can Help Relieve Stress
If stress is getting you down then you need to use a little aromatherapy magic. Let me show you what essential oils you need to use and exactly how to use them to effectively ease stress.

Now back to lavender oil.  This is one of the few pure, essential oils that you can use undiluted.  Simply tip the bottle upside down onto your index finger on one hand and then do the same on the other.  You should end up with a drop on each finger.

You massage your fingers into your temple like the photo below -

Photo courtesy of Lou's Designs

I used to try this for migraines (which I used to get every month before I had my daughter), it used to reduce the severity of the headache, although it didn't help with the lack of balance and light sensitivity (but you can't have everything!).

When it comes to just a standard headache, if I'm at home with lavender on hand this works really well.

Eating Almonds, Not Asprin for a Headache!

Now when I was told last year that merely eating almonds could help a headache I was a little skeptical, but then I tried it with success.  Initially I wondered if it was just a coincidence, but I have tried it a few times now and it has worked.

I have also looked into why this works and when I saw that almonds are a good source of magnesium I realized that's why they're effective.  Magnesium actually helps to relax your blood vessels and it's often when your blood vessels are tight that you get headaches.

How many almonds to take?  The recommendation is 10-12 almonds, but when I've tried them I've only taken 6-8 each time, then again when I have resorted to taking paracetamol/tylenol I only take 1 not 2.

Hydration is Vital for Keeping Headaches at Bay!

I read somewhere that dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches, now I don't know exactly how factual that statement is, but it wouldn't surprise me.  Most people I know just do not drink enough water and by consuming more processed foods we are also digesting less water through our meals as well.

When my daughter complains of a headache the first thing I ask her is 'have you drunk much today?' the reply is usually no!  Now when you're dehydrated just drinking water sometimes isn't enough to ease the headache quickly as you need to get electrolytes into your system too.

If you have any watermelon on hand this is an excellent source of natural electrolytes and it has the added bonus that most kids who don't want to drink water will happily consume a slice or two of watermelon!

Another option is to have an electrolyte drink (often marketed as sports drinks).  This will work, but the side effect with most of the ones on the market is that they tend to be really high in sugar.  This is one of the reasons (I believe) that after drinking them you are sometimes left feeling even thirstier.

One drink that I use and also give my teenager is Arbonne's Complete Hydration as it's much lower in sugar and is formulated to hydrate on a cellular level.   This means that it doesn't leave you feeling thirsty.

Have You Tried Natural Ways to Ease A Headache?

I'd love to know if you've tried any of these three ways to ease a headache or if you have a different natural method to help your headaches.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Incredibly Easy Ways to Increase Your Level of Fitness

So we are already heading into the second half of 2018 and if better fitness was one of your goals, Let's Review how to do this easily!

Today many jobs have us sitting on our behinds for long periods of time.  Even hobbies that we enjoy can make us less active than we should be.  Most health experts agree that this is not the best thing for our bodies.  So let's review how to make it easier to remember to get up and move!  If we don't use it, we will lose it!  

Being sedentary for short periods of time is fine, everyone needs to relax for a little while.  What our bodies need more,  is to move.  There is evidence that if we sit around too much our health declines.  Not just our physical health, but our mental health as well.  

We need a certain amount of activity in our daily lives, that means moving every day.  Whether you take a walk at lunch time or go to a yoga class after work, maybe go for a swim at the recreation center or a bike ride when you get home, these are all ways to become more active and healthier.

All of these activities will help you become more active!  Find one that you really like!

I must confess, that I had fallen into the very sedentary group for far too long.  It wasn't easy to get motivated to move! Then I was faced with some serious health issues, the choice became one of necessity.  I can get very caught up in the internet, browsing websites, reading blogs and writing my own blogs.  All of these things are sedentary activities.  I used to have a timer that I would set every hour and when the timer went off, it was time to get up and go for a 10 minute walk.  Well that worked for a little while, but then I forgot to set the timer and forgot to set it again and again.  All my best intentions went out the window and the kitchen timer went back into the kitchen.

I moved to an apartment so that stairs were no longer an issue for me (bad knees, bad ankles and bad hips).  One of the most important aspects of moving was to find a place that had a swimming pool that I could use year round.  Where I live that means an indoor pool.  Well, we found the ideal place and call it home now.  The promise was that I would use the pool daily (exercise is easier in water) to help my movements become more routine.  To that end, I found my ideal exercise tool and it can be yours too!

It's called a FITBIT!    There are several different styles of Fitbits and this one is a great one for just about anyone!  The style is very understated and can be worn with just about anything.

Now why in heaven's name would you need a FITBIT? 

FitBits or Activity trackers are an amazing tool that everyone can use regardless of age, sex or lifestyle.  Whether you are an athlete already or whether you have decided to become more active this tool will help you!.

It is a multi-tool for your wrist.  It is a watch that will keep you on time for all your appointments,  It is a heart rate monitor that let's you know how hard your heart is working.  It can monitor your sleep patterns.

It will track all day activities like walking, stair climbing and a total of all your active minutes.  You can receive calls, messages, and other notifications depending on your own personal set up. Many of these digital trackers have these features and more.  

I personally like my fitbit very much, it is connected to my computer and I can look over my weekly activities and adjust as need be.  It has helped me to keep moving every hour for at least 10 minutes.  If I don't walk in a certain period, at 10 minutes before the hour is over, I will get a buzzing vibration on my wrist with the message, You need to walk 110 more steps this hour.  Well believe it or not, I don't ignore this alarm.  I get up and I do those steps.  At the end of the day I know that I have walked a minimum of 5000 steps.    That is the minimum amount of daily activity that is recommended by almost all doctors.

Screen Shot of my FitBit activity.

Once you purchase a FitBit (I'm not sure about the other brands) there is even an online group that you can join for added support and friendship.  

FitBit would make a great Father's Day gift, or a wonderful birthday gift for anyone you love.  If you love them, you want them to stay healthy!  This is one tool that will help along the way.

** I am not a doctor.  Before embarking on a fitness routine check with your medical practitioner.  No advice given here is meant to be medical advice for anyone. 

Always check with your own doctor first.**

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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