In case you don't normally bust out a bunch of crazy exercises on a daily
basis, you may experience some soreness from doing new activities. The good
news about being sore? It means you are making progress! The bad news? It is no fun. So here are a
few ways to alleviate some soreness:
Drink water-The trainer's answer to everything. It does help to get rid of
the toxins (like lactic acid) that are causing you to be so sore by flushing
them out of your system.
Exercise-Kind of like the hair of the dog treatment for hangovers. Not that
anybody in the camp is at risk for one of those, but you fight what caused
your agony with more of the same. Exercise gets the blood moving and helps to work out the stiffness and soreness in much the same way that water does. If you aren't coming to camp tomorrow, at least move around a little bit and do some stretching. Trust me, the worst thing you can do is sit around and do nothing.
Recovery shower-Also called the contrast shower. You alternate 60 seconds of
hot water with 60 seconds of cold water. It causes your blood vessels to
constrict and dilate, which makes the blood vessels squeeze the toxins out. I feel like a million bucks after I take one of these, but my wife makes fun of me and thinks I am crazy. If you want to try one,
do about 4 rounds of hot, 4 rounds of cold, and make sure to concentrate the shower spray on the most sore areas. My biggest problem is taking a shower for 8 minutes, instead of the 3 I'm
used to. Being bald has its advantages.
Dixie cupsicle massage-If you have any paper Dixie cups, fill a few up with water and freeze them tonight. When you wake up and you are speaking in tongues and wishing you had never heard of me and my stupid boot camp you can use them. Massage the frozen cup on your aching muscles and just peel away the cup as it melts. This can be a little messy, so just be ready.
Epsom salt bath. Since I don't take baths, I don't know about this one first hand.