I love to feel the burn as much as the next person, but sore muscles can quickly go from a nice pat on the back for a job well done to crippling. Instead of popping a pill, naturally ease sore muscles with these tips.

How to Naturally Ease Sore Muscles

1. Hydrate! Not just when you are done with your workout, but all day every day. How much water do you really need? You can try this calculator for figuring out how much you should drink during your workout.

2. Mobility and foam rolling. I know, the last thing you want to do at the end of a hard workout is roll around on the floor like a spastic seal, but it’s important to get the blood moving into all of the tissue you just used. Foam rolling (and other forms of self-massage) help break up tissue adhesions and speed recovery. Try for 10 minutes a day (wether you worked out or not!) of foam rolling and targeted muscle release. For tips, check out how to properly roll out your legs and your back/chest.

3. Contrast bath. Shock your system and scare the soreness right out of your muscles with a contrast bath. Not really, but a contrast bath will increase circulation and nourish your tired and torn up muscles. You can do full body plunges or stand in the shower, but I like to use two buckets and just do my knees down. Try for at least four cycles of 3 minutes in hot water and 1 minute in cold water. Always start and end on hot.

4. Sleep. My personal favorite. When you sleep your body repairs the tissue you have torn and broken down by exercising. The more sleep you get, the better you recover. Many professional athletes sleep up to 12 hours a day.

5. Arnica gel. This is your best friend for really sore muscles. Arnica helps reduce inflammation and pain. Personally, I like this gel.

6. Magnesium. I used to get horrible muscle spasms. My legs would wake me up in the night with twitches that seemed to last forever. I would jerk myself awake with a massive twitch that would send my arm or leg flying. I started drinking magnesium a couple of years ago to sleep better.

Turns out I was also giving myself a massive recovery boost. Calcium aids in muscle contraction while magnesium helps the muscle relax. An imbalance between calcium and magnesium leaves you with stiff, tight muscles.

I drink Natural Calm every night before bed, but you can also rub it straight on your sore muscles. I like the powder better than a pill because I can control the dose and make sure I get enough on the days I have a hard workout.

7. Gentle movement. An easy walk or short yoga session can go a long way toward loosening up muscles and relieving soreness. This isn’t a sprint or an hour long swim. Get your blood flowing with a bit of slow, gentle movement.

8. Legs up the wall. I love coming home from a hard run or a heavy squat session and putting my legs up the wall. Ahhh, feels so good! I like to imagine the soreness draining out of my legs while I lie back and relax. But in reality, it’s a nice boost for your circulation.

9. Compression. Jury is still out on compression for improved performance, but it does help you recover. Try socks or other compression clothing to get the blood flowing. I swear by the Voodoo band for serious compression and relief – it also really helps remove tissue adhesions and get everything gliding properly again.

10. Naturally anti-inflammatory foods. Ginger, turmeric, and fish all of have anti-inflammatory properties. Whole foods also help muscles get the amino acids, minerals, and vitamins that they need to repair and get stronger.

11. Cupping. A little intense for your run of the mill muscle soreness, but totally worth keeping in your back pocket for the days where breathing feels strenuous. You can read all about my experience with cupping here. (Spoiler, I like it.)

Two months ago I thought I was going to be full on running by now. My progress was shooting forward and I was getting stronger and stronger. Until I wasn’t.

At the beginning of May I got hit with posterior tibial tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. The old injury was a one-two punch that knocked me out for weeks. I’m still not running, but I am finally working back towards picking up the pace on my walking again.

It didn’t help that at the end of May I sprained my ankle again. Nothing close to the severity of last time, but enough to leave me holding my ankle in tears on the sidewalk. I now fear the 28th of every month since I’ve sprained it twice now on that day. Bad omens.

8 Months

Eight months. It’s hard to take in just how long it has been. Just how many times I’ve gone to PT. How many TheraBand exercises I’ve done. How many rounds of cupping my body has endured. How many times I’ve seen someone running and thought ‘one day that will be me.’

It still shocks me every time I flip through my photos and my huge smile after my half marathon finish is quickly followed by pictures of a massively swollen and bruised ankle. How did we get here?

Still Going

Not the prettiest, I but had so much fun playing with plank to pike. #fitness #trx #yoga #handstand

A video posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Jun 10, 2016 at 5:26pm PDT

I’m still going. I’m doing ever more PT exercises all while trying to stay motivated instead of enraged. I’m still trying to heal faster and get strong. And in so many ways, I am. My squat is probably stronger than it was before my last half, and I’m rapidly closing in on my old PR. Lifting three times a week and being able to follow a consistent program has lead to huge progress.

My physical therapist seems optimistic, despite the fact that he can’t seem to get rid of me. Last week he told me that Steph Curry and I just had really severe sprains, but we’ll be back. One heal raise at a time. 

Self-care doesn’t have to involve your credit card or some time-intensive, luxurious body treatment. I’m a huge fan of incorporating little things throughout the day. Taking time for yourself is important, and we should all be doing a better job at it.

My friend recently made a comment about how great I am at self-care. It’s something I never really thought about before, but the more things she listed off, the more I realized maybe this is something I innately do.

What I Do for Self-Care

1. Exercise. Yoga feels indulgent to me, but a sweaty workout of any kind is often just the thing I need. I leave with a clear head and a calm body. I typically go for a walk (or run when I wasn’t injured) when I’m feeling particularly stressed or like I’ve spent too much time sitting or in my head.

2. Listen. I trust my gut and I listen to my body. When I just can’t work anymore or something doesn’t feel right, I stop.

3. Healthy foods. I may treat myself more than I should with sweet treats, but for the most part I work in nutritious foods that I actually enjoy at every meal.

4. Lots of sleep. If I’m not in bed for nine hours, I’m quite upset. I take sleep very seriously. Even if I don’t sleep for that entire time, just being in bed for at least nine hours improves my next day and my body’s ability to recover immensely. I make sleep a priority because my whole next day, and sometimes the days after too, are dependent on it.

5. Happiness. I do the things that make me happy. A cup of tea when I want it. A mellow start to my morning. A killer podcast session at lunch. Whatever it may be, I incorporate the things that make me happy into my day.

6. Quiet time! As an introvert, I thrive on my quiet time. It’s crucial for me to have time in the day to just sit and be. I try to read daily – the more time I spend with a book the better.

7. Triggers. I know what makes me feel stressed and annoyed and I do my best to avoid them at all costs. I clean up my room each night so when I wake up I feel calm and relaxed instead of overwhelmed with clutter. I get all of the dishes out of the sink and wipe all of the counters. I also try to tackle the nagging to-dos that annoyed me that day so they don’t drag on into the next. I set myself up for a positive experience instead of a negative response.

How to Fit in Self-Care

The same friend also asked me how I find the time for self-care. I make time. My workout is on my calendar. I pick up my room every night so it takes me five minutes instead of a marathon session.

You don’t have to set aside an entire evening to take care of yourself. Small bursts throughout the day go a long way!

Instead of stressing about how to fit in self-care, pick one thing you can do in 5-10 minutes. Do it today, and make a plan of when you will do it tomorrow. Once that item turns into a habit, add another. We all have the same amount of time in the day. We all choose how to spend it.

Self-care looks different for everyone, and it should! Do what makes you happy and feel refreshed. Skip the things you “should do” and embrace the weird things that work for you.

My minimalist workout wardrobe fits in one drawer, but it contains more than most people would probably expect. My exercise clothes take up half of my minimalist wardrobe. While it takes up less space than the rest of my clothes, my minimalist workout wardrobe has more pieces in it than my daily wardrobe.

I strongly believe that your wardrobe should reflect and support your lifestyle. These clothes are my bread and butter. They let me do the things I love! And the number of items I have may seem like a lot, but they get me through all four seasons and my favorite activities like running, yoga, CrossFit, Olympic lifting, and couch potatoing.

Minimalist Workout Wardrobe

Bottoms
5 cropped leggings
5 shorts
3 full length leggings (2 winter running tights, 1 regular)
2 running tights
2 bike shorts (with cushioned pad, not the ’90s shorts we all loved)
1 yoga pant

Tops
7 sports bras (many halfway out the door)
7 long sleeve tees
6 tanks
2 sweatshirts
3 quick-dry, no-chafe tees
1 running jacket

Shoes
1 pair running shoes
1 pair training shoes (worn to CrossFit/gym)
1 pair lifting shoes
1 pair of trail running shoes

Other
3 lap swim suits
2 pairs arm warmers (1 pair for warmth, the other is thin and cooling for sun protection)

Total (minus shoes): 49 pieces

How is this Minimalist?

I’ll be the first to admit that this seems like a lot of stuff. But the large number fits my lifestyle and gives me more freedom and less stress. I workout six days a week, sometimes seven when I’m in the middle of a training cycle. This means I go through a lot of clothes. I’m not the kind of person who can rewear exercise clothes, not because I think it’s gross but because I get gross. I sweat through my clothes during most of my workouts.

Because I hang dry all of my clothes and I do my laundry once a week, I need to be able to make it through 8 days of exercise (seven plus an extra for laundry day).

My 50 pieces get me through my highest volume of training – the most stressful sections  – without having to squeeze in extra laundry or worry about having clothes. It lets me focus on the things that are actually important.

A video posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on May 5, 2016 at 4:48pm PDT

Double Duty

It’s no secret that I love activewear. And, let’s be totally honest, these items are my favorite in my wardrobe. They bring me immense joy, and since I work from home, I can often wear them all day long.

Working Towards Less

While I have already sold and donated quite a few things, I am being really thoughtful about what I have and questioning how much I need. Right now I’m going to keep what I have, but as things wear out there are some that just won’t get replaced. For instance I have two fleece sweatshirts, which isn’t necessary but I do wear them both weekly. At some point in the distant future I would like to replace both of them with one really nice fleece. Same for my bike shorts. The support tank, a long sleeve, and a running tight likely won’t be replaced.

Is this the right number for everyone? No! Is it the right number for me? Yes.

Can you make do with less? Absolutely! This is just what works for me.

The benefits of cupping have been incredible for me. It’s the only treatment that gave me immediate, massive improvement in my range of motion and decreased my pain. Now more than seven months into my ankle sprain recovery, my fairly traditional, Western medicine-based physical therapist uses cupping at least every two weeks.

What Is Cupping?

Cupping therapy is a traditional Chinese practice that has been used for thousands of years. Traditionally, jars or cups were rapidly filled with hot air and placed on the skin. As the air cooled, it created suction.

While you can get the traditional form of cupping, my physical therapist uses cups with a valve and a small hand pump so he can control the pressure and move the cups around as needed. No heat necessary. Here’s a great diagram of the cups and how they are used.

Benefits of Cupping

It’s not just me who has felt the benefits. Research shows that cupping can reduce pain and improve range of motion. It may also speed recovery and improve healing by increasing blood flow and reducing swelling.

Cupping has been shown to improve chronic neck, shoulder, and low back pain. It may even decrease cellulite (whew, so glad to be heading off the ankle cellulite before it develops).

From Chinese weightlifters to Olympic U.S. swimmers to Major League Baseball pitchers, professional athletes are using the therapy to help them recover and heal injuries. Apparently it’s now all the rage with celebrities (nothing makes me want to stop doing it more than that little fact).

What Does It Feel Like?

The first time I ever had cupping I thought my skin was going to explode. I was imagining having to explain to the emergency room why I had a huge hole in my skin and what the muscle must look like underneath. Needless to say, this didn’t calm me very much.

Now it’s just any other day. It doesn’t bother me at all. I have complete trust that I won’t be turned into Swiss cheese. I’ve had the sensitive skin around my ankle cupped as well as the nerve-centered bottom of my feet (that one was less pleasant, especially when my PT started moving them to break up scar tissue and tissue adhesions without reducing any of the suction).

Once you get used to the tugging, it is easily tolerable. It feels a bit like when you put the vacuum tube on your hand – only it’s a bit more intense.

Why Are You Polka Dotted?

While it looks like you have been attacked by a massive octopus for a few days after, the bruises slowly fade as they heal. I use arnica gel twice a day after cupping, and my bruises are completely gone in less than a week. I have rocked the massive bruises to a wedding before, but no one seemed to notice (or were at least nice enough not to ask me).

Should You Try It?

If you have a lot of tightness or scar tissue, it might be a great thing to try. Be sure to go to a qualified practitioner. I highly recommend going to a physical therapist or someone else who really knows the body’s structure well and the tissues that may be at play with your injury. This isn’t a comfortable treatment, and having complete trust and confidence in the person performing your cupping is absolutely necessary.

Cupping has been a game-changer in my ankle recovery. I’m so glad I stuck it out through the first, slightly unnerving, session.

Currently reading Clean Eating: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body. While I won’t be doing a “clean eating diet” or a “detox diet,” I am certainly going to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods in my diet and steer clear some of the big inflammation (and upset stomach) instigators. Hopefully my ankle responds well and heals faster.

Why do we wait for perfect? Let’s encourage all progress toward sustainability.

I want to eat these dark chocolate pots de creme every day. With only 11 grams of sugar from honey per serving, they are my current favorite substitute that my sweet tooth hasn’t noticed isn’t actually full of sugar.

Why are we so unsatisfied with the limits of our bodies?

The LA Times story on Oxycotin was shocking.

But not as shocking as the wage gap for NBA players and WNBA players. Women athletes still don’t make what their counterparts do. Let’s do something about it already.

Let’s keep doing more of this. And remembering to treat what we have well and buy used first.

Things I wrote:

Best Habits of Yoga Teachers

7 Crazy Things Eucalyptus Oil Can Do For You

7 Things You Didn’t Know Pepper Could Do

The Best Gluten Free Ice Cream Brands (I consider myself an expert on this one)

Let’s be real, I use a lot of mineral sunscreen. Anytime I’m outside or driving for more than 10-15 minutes I’m usually slathered in something or wearing sun protective clothing. After years in the sun, I take sun protection and sun damage very seriously.

Why Mineral Sunscreen

For years I have avoided non-mineral, or chemical, sunscreens. After reading the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide, I refuse to use anything that has oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, or nano particles. I want to know that my skin is safe and I’m actually being protected. With that in mind, I would much rather drench myself in mineral sunscreens that will protect me better and not seep toxic chemicals into my body.

The Best Mineral Sunscreens

Face: MyChelle Sun Shield SPF 28
I had been unhappy with my face sunscreen for a while, so much so that I was neglecting to put it on at all. But after doing a ton of beauty research for this article, I was motivated to find a new one.

I picked this one up on a slight whim before my last camping trip, and it exceeded my expectations. It goes on SO easily for a mineral sunscreen. There’s not endless rubbing and constantly having weird, white streaks down your face from where it didn’t get rubbed in enough before it dried. It also doesn’t leave you looking like an Edward Cullen wannabe. Finally, a face sunscreen that goes on clear!

While I’m usually wary of putting anything on my sensitive, temperamental face, I haven’t had any problems with irritation or breakouts. After I do my morning skin routine, I apply it before I leave the house, including before I exercise. The only time I notice it is when I sweat a little bit. My face feels like I have something on it, but it’s not bad and it feels pretty similar to other sunscreens. The rest of the time it’s incredibly light and I forget I’m wearing it. Bonus points for being untinted – no more staining my clothes! You can find it at many natural food stores and Amazon.

Body: Solar Body Moisturizer SPF 30+
When I was commuting hours each day in the sun, this beauty was my best friend. It goes on like body lotion and makes my skin feel moisturized. There’s no heavy, oily coat on your skin, and it works great. I took this all across Spain with me. It’s so easy to apply it on the go. I frequently bring a little bit with me in a smaller tube if I’m unsure of the weather or I think I might end up taking off a layer (or two).

It’s not water or sweat proof, so it’s not great for extended exercise or a dip in the pool. I do, however, put it on my legs before I run and it stays on great. Whole foods and a few other markets carry it – although Amazon is usually cheaper.

Water/sport: BurnOut Eco-Sensitive SPF 35 Sunscreen
This little tube is by far my hardest working sunscreen. I wear it when I ride by bike, go for a run, swim, or do anything else where I’m going to sweat or otherwise get wet.

From the tops of my feet to the part in my hair, I use this sunscreen everywhere. I haven’t had any trouble putting it on my face. It’s a bit more work to rub in than the other two, but once you’re done you can’t really tell it’s there. I’ve tried a few other sunscreens from BurnOut, and I think this one goes on the most clear. It stays on in water pretty well, and based on the burns I’ve gotten when I’ve missed little spots, it definitely works. This one is usually a bit more expensive in most natural food stores, but it’s also on Amazon and it looks like it might be cheaper at other random online stores if you Google it.

In case you missed it:
All the sunscreens I’ve tried in the past
Sun Safely, my article in Yoga Journal

When my dad pointed out months ago that it looked like my injury was going to take at least six months to heal, I crumbled a bit on the inside. How could an injury that took less than a second to happen stretch on for so long? Why couldn’t I get this to heal?

I know what you’re thinking. “But the doctors said 4-6 weeks. What happened?”

When I first hurt my ankle it was hard to tell just how much damage was done. I was so swollen that my range of motion was extremely limited and doctors couldn’t do most of the tests to figure out the extent of my sprain. I was hurried in and out of the sports doctor’s office with the golden ticket to physical therapy.

Slowly fixed with confusion, just like my ankle.

It wasn’t until I started physical therapy and my progress was like trying to chisel a new, functioning ankle out of a block of granite that we realized something wasn’t right. The more my physical therapist dug into what was going on the more problems he found.

By the time it seemed like maybe an MRI would be on the table, I opted not to. Nothing was completely torn, and it wasn’t like an MRI could heal me. Instead, I swallowed the fact that this was a severe injury that I wouldn’t instantly bounce back from and I let go of ALL healing deadlines.

This is one you take as you go.

Six Months

Half a year. All of 2016. I haven’t run since the third week of October. And I haven’t sobbed uncontrollably since my friends carried me off the basketball court listening to me babble about how I only have 14 weeks until my race. What am I going to do? What am I going to do?

Take it one day at a time. That’s what I did. There were nights I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. I got so used to saying “I can’t do that” to nearly everything because I couldn’t go up that many stairs or stand that long or walk that far or sit without my foot up.

I got used to knee-replacement patients lapping me in the physical therapy room. I’ve been around longer than some of the receptionists. My physical therapist hears about more of my life than most of my friends.

So Much Progress

But so much has changed, especially in the last month.

A video posted by Mandy Ferreira (@treading_lightly) on Apr 15, 2016 at 1:20pm PDT

Lifting
This past month has been HUGE for me (get huge, bro!). I’m lifting three days a week (ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!). I am only 20 pounds off my 1 rep max back squat and my 1RM deadlift. I finally (FINALLY) feel strong and capable.

Balance
My balance is killin’ it. When I was first able to test my balance without excruciating pain, it was abysmal. My broken body just didn’t know how to handle itself anymore, especially since so many muscles had atrophied or hid out of fear of pain and punishment. Now I’m doing crazy things on uneven surfaces. Yoga is starting to feel like it used to. I can’t wait to see how far I can take this.

Strength
My ankle is starting to feel steady, strong even. I have been doing exercises for six months now and the progress is enormous. I’ve accepted that I will most likely be doing most of these exercises for the rest of my life. And that’s okay, especially if I don’t have pain and they keep me on my feet.

Mobility
You should have seen my face the first time I could do a full ankle circle a couple weeks ago. I looked like a baby who walked for the first time. Surprised, excited, and ready to eat shit at any moment. Priceless.

I’m still not at my normal range of motion, but I finally think that I’m going to get there. For months I thought “maybe this is it, maybe this is my life now.” But I’m holding out hope on those last few degrees and the pain that comes with them.

Running
You heard me. For the past month or so I’ve been slowly adding short “running” bursts into my walks. I started with 10 steps. 20. 30. 50. 100. 200. Now I’m able to do the first day of the Couch to 5k program which is a total of 1 minute of running 10 times with 1.5 minutes of walking between.

I’ll probably stay here for a few weeks as my body gets used to this and my ankle and feet hopefully stop being upset by it. But I’m so stoked in the meantime.

Hiking
I went for my first hike a couple weeks ago and even though I spent the whole time staring at my feet to make sure I didn’t step on anything, it was amazing! I can finally do inclines and declines without pain (for the most part) and relatively unstable ground went okay!

Jumping
This girl used to have air. Jumping has always been one of my favorite things. I know that sounds weird, but sign me up for max height box jumps and vertical jump tests – I love them! I’m finally taking my first tentative jumps into the world and it feels good. Top shelf foods, I’m coming for you.

Mental
I’ve long ago come to terms with my injury. I have no deadline in my mind. No timeline. No expectations. While six more months of this seems unlikely, I’m prepared for anything. I feel fantastic about my progress, and I’m really excited about what I can do right now. Right now is good. Tomorrow is even better.

I’ve come so far. So far.

In case you missed it:
Zero
One
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Three
Four
Five