Some Motivation Required

In my last post, I mentioned ice massage, but didn’t really go into a lot of details about it.  Ice massage was first suggested to me by my mom, who’s a wicked awesome runner in her own class and a teacher of Chi Running.  She gives wicked awesome advice, as she was running marathons before I could walk, and still runs trail ultramarathons in her late 50’s.  So we’d all do well to listen up.

All you need for ice massage is a pack of 3oz paper cups and some space in your freezer.

Fill a few of these bad boys up with water and line them up on a shelf in your freezer for future use:

Later on, go out running, or whatever you do that ends up in sore muscles in need of some icing and some work afterward.  After your post workout stretch (don’t static stretch cold, bad times), pull one of these out freezer, peeling back most of the paper:

There will be some paper left stuck to the ice cube, providing an anchor for a handle so that you don’t freeze your fingertips.  Elevate foot and work the edge of that ice into tight/inflamed muscles and tendons.  Keep a towel handy if you want to keep your couch dry.

Do this a few times over 10-15 minute sessions, letting the skin return to room temperature before repeating.  This is good for post workout therapy, but don’t do it on chronic injuries before a workout.  During a workout, you want good blood flow and warm muscles, workout out cold/constricted muscles can lead to nasty things like tears.

Also don’t forget to listen to your body and if you see signs of frostbite, take the ice OFF.