What Do You Do After A Tough Workout?

If you go hard in the paint when it comes to your workouts, then you absolutely must balance things out with a little tender love and care. Your body will treat you good when you treat it good, so check out the three things I do in between workouts to stay right and tight.

1. Lay Your Head On My “Chillow”

Fatigued muscles swell, that’s just the nature of the weight/endurance training business. So what do you do when they really swell and you need the inflammation to go down for real for real? Ice those muscles girl. I keep a few ice packs in my fridge, however once I was introduced to the Chillow I swapped those rinky dink store-bought packs out quick.

This portable pillow provides instant personal cooling relief for people experiencing achy muscles. Really sore? Studies have shown alternating cold with hot to be highly effective in promoting both circulation and muscle recuperation. But with the Chillow, you may be able to skip the heat altogether. It can be customized to four different cooling comfort levels to satisfy personal needs, and once its temperature is set, it stays at that level and provides cooling relief for hours. So chill out after you workout sis and get you a $12.99 Chillow.

2. Trigger It With Trigger Point Performance Therapy

Foam rolling used to be my sore muscle’s BFF, that was until I met Trigger Point Performance Therapy. Based on the discoveries of Dr. Janet Travell and Dr. David Simons–who found the causal relationship between chronic pain and its source–myofascial trigger point therapy is used to relieve muscular pain and dysfunction through applied pressure to trigger points of referred pain and through stretching exercises.

I recently had the privilege to try the Total Body Kit and was blown away with how much tension and tightness was released in just one session. As athletes, we ask a lot of our bodies. And while we expect 100 percent in return, optimal performance is often sacrificed due to injuries and imbalances. However, with this system you can tap into your full potential by literally unlocking your body. An unlocked body reacts as a unit and its muscle groups work together to move you forward faster and with less struggle. The easy to follow DVD and guide included seamlessly shows you how to prepare your tissue to tolerate the demands placed upon it, and when done regularly, can change your entire athletic game.

3. ART Is Certainly A Work Of Art

After having chronic low back pain for almost two years, I was literally desperate for relief this past year while training for the ING NYC Marathon. Not only did I have no idea what caused it, I was just as clueless (even as a trainer) when it came to how to correct it. I have seen handfuls of massage therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists and acupuncturists only to have my pain come straight back (no pun intended) shortly after.

Oh the amount of lululemon I could have bought with that money?! And then I met Dr. Steven D. Levine. As a New York certified chiropractor/Active Release Techniques® provider, he literally put my back “back” together again. So you are probably wondering, what is Active Release Techniques®? Active Release Techniques® is a patented state of the art soft tissue movement based massage technique that is proven to treat problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.

Active Release Treatments separates, releases, and stretches the connective tissue adhesions, restores vascular and lymph circulation, and increases your range of motion, flexibility and strength. In short, this technique is probably what happened to Humpty Dumpty after all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put him back together again. Seriously. Even after running a marathon, I have zero lower back pain. In-credible! Try ART today.

Robbie Ann Darby (RAD Experience) is a professional FitGirl, Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer in NYC. Follow her sweaty life on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more fun health and fitness tips!