Advice

Excercising in the cold - Tue 23rd Oct 2007
Jessica Kiddle. Living.scotsman.com
ACHES

AS IF you needed another reason to ditch the great outdoors now the colder weather is here, it's worth remembering that exercising in near-freezing temperatures can make you more prone to pulled muscles and strains.

Not if you stretch, of course, but when it's raining and your limbs are screaming for a rest, how many of us do that?

So, if you're feeling the strain of cold, stiff muscles but are determined - as you should be - to get your daily dose of vitamin D and exercise outside, it's time to investigate what natural topical treatments are out there....

If you're not a packaging snob, there are some cheap options. For sore and or aching legs after exercise, Weleda Massage Balm (£4, www.goodnessdirect.co.uk) also comes highly recommended and is a quarter of the price of other similar products on the market. Containing oil extracts of arnica - thought to be an anti-inflammatory - and natural muscle-relaxant betula pendula (silver birch), it can soothe away tension and reduce muscular swelling. If you find someone to massage it into those painful quads, wellso much the better.

Weleda also make another affordable, effective product for when you've completely seized up, Ruta Ointment for relief of sprains. Made from Ruta graveolens (rue), it is said by homeopaths to be good for pain and stiffness in the hands, wrists, feet, and legs.

Oh, and as tempting as it sounds, don't take after the professionals and dunk yourself in an ice-cold bath. With opinion split as to whether this is actually the muscle-saving cure some think it to be, unless you're a serious athlete or slightly sadistic, be kind to your body and try a dip in a warm bath infused with eucalyptus oil. Not only will the warm water help your body to eliminate the lactic acid build-up which is responsible for aching muscles, but the eucalyptus, a natural analgesic, will help ease any pain.
Reviewer's Name: Jessica Kiddle

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