Magical Post-Tournament Recovery

I know, I know ... a magical post-tournament recovery? What is this make-believe?

So, for those of you who don't know me, I love to play Ultimate Frisbee. I've been playing for a little over ten years now and it is simply my favourite team sport. It is spirited, it makes you run, it requires some intellect to play it well, and it's reasonably inexpensive. I have formed so many great friendships through playing this sport that I cannot imagine my life without it. Like any sport you may love, it's like a dose of exercise, social interaction and self-care all wrapped into one.

This summer I am honoured to be a co-captain of a women's masters touring team in southern Ontario. The leadership is a group of four amazing women and our team is a collection of talented and spirited players from London, Toronto, Burlington, Milton, Hamilton, Ottawa, and even the east coast!

This weekend was our first official tournament and it was so much fun! We played a one-day tournament in Bowmanville where we played five games, each over an hour in length. For those step counters out there, I clocked over 30,000 steps on my FitBit that day. That may not be marathon material, but with all of the cutting back and forth and running through rain-soaked (and puddle-filled) fields, it's enough to tire your legs out.

Knowing that I would be tired and sore after this tournament, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to put my dōTERRA essential oils to the test!

I started my morning off with a shower featuring some bar soap that I made with spearmint essential oil. Spearmint is great for supporting digestive health, bringing focus and easing stress. It's also very refreshing. Good way to start an intense day, right? I think so!

After the shower, I put some Cheer on. Cheer is a blend from dōTERRA that features wild orange, clove, star anise, lemon myrtle and nutmeg. It's known as their uplifting blend and it's great for calming anxiety, supporting digestive health and providing encouragement and supporting connection. I have it in a roller, so I draw hearts with it across my abdomen (cheesy I know, but it makes me smile at 5:30 am, so I consider it a win).

At the tournament, before game 1, my nose was filling a bit stuffy, so I put a drop of peppermint on my palm, rubbed my two palms together and then inhaled the crisp aroma. Not only did it clear up my nasal and sinus congestion, but it also made me feel more focused and energized.

As the day wore on, I used a tension relief roller that I love (peppermint, lavender and frankincense) (the amber-coloured slim vial in the photo) to chase away any beginnings of headachey feelings. I also applied Deep Blue in a roller (the blue slim roller towards the left in the photo) to my knees and calves because they are my problem spots during long game days, especially when the fields are slippery.

Before game 5, when I was starting to feel the day wear on, I used a roller blend of wild orange and peppermint (the purple slim vial in the middle of the photo) to give myself a boost of energy and focus.

After all the games were done, I was so grateful to have a teammate lead us through some cool down stretches before we tucked ourselves back in the car to make the journey home.

On the drive home, Deep Blue went on the legs and knees again and I followed up with some compression socks to give those tired calves a hug. I also used the tension relief roller again and downed a bunch more water to ward off any chances of a headache.

Once I was home and showered, I applied lavender (from a roller (far right, clear slim vial in photo)) to my face. I was careful to wear sunscreen all day, but figured that extra bit of love for my poor face would be a good idea. I also applied Deep Blue Rub, a lotion made by dōTERRA, which features their Deep Blue blend, to my calves, legs, quads and hamstrings. Then I put on a pair of slightly looser compression sleeves to cuddle my calves a bit while I slept.

Fast forward to Sunday morning when I woke up to the littlest kid begging to be pulled out of bed (he's 16 months). I slooooowly got out of bed and gingerly shuffled over to his room to get him and then carefully started down the stairs with him in my arms.

This is the moment I realized that I was NOT sore. AT ALL. Yeah .... for real. No hamstring pinching at the base of my butt, no, crampy stiff calves. No sore IT bands. No rickety knees. It seriously did not feel like I had played a tournament the day before. NOT AT ALL. ***Mind blown***

The only evidence of the previous day was my tired throat from all of the cheering on the sideline. So what did I do? Boiled some water, grabbed a 1/2 teaspoon of honey, put a drop of lemon essential oil in it, stirred it with a toothpick and then poured the hot water over it and mixed it into a mug to make a "tea." Sipped on that while I folded some laundry, and then enjoyed the day with my kiddos as if the day before never happened!

Do you want to experience similar recovery days? I can help! Click on the dōTERRA link at the top of the blog and it will take you to my website. From there, just go to the bottom of the purple bar on the right and click "contact us." Send me a message to let me know how I can help!

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