I post a lot about the virtues of training regularly to ensure that we keep our bodies in good physical condition for better bodily functioning, better sleep and overall health.  But there is a flip side to that, which is how we treat our bodies after we train.  Make no mistake about it, I'm not 20 years-old anymore!  In fact I am three times that, and my training partner, Ombretta, is 17 years my junior, so when I keep a full-on pace in our workouts, I need to be sure to be as diligent with myself when the sweating is done.

When we were skiing in the Italian alps over the Christmas holidays, I used clothe knee braces with a hotpocket tucked inside of each of them to keep my knees nice and warm all day long.  This is a particularly important trick to keep your knees toasty when sitting on long lift rides in sub-zero temps.  After a full day on the slopes - skiing like I'm 25 - I take a nice cold beer to refresh myself while I wrap two ice packs around my knees for a full 20 minutes.  While my knees were warm and comfortable all day, the ice ensures that they get a good dose of circulation post-workout so that when I awake the next morning ready for another day of flying down the mountains, my knees are in full agreement.

Here, at home in Miami Beach, I employ the same icing technique ony if I have an injury that I am overcoming.  The bigger issue in the warmer climate is dealing with the stiffness that comes with the lactic acid build up when we do a serious interval training with our run on the beach or attend a Crossfit class, particularly the latter.  We use Crossfit as an addendum to our other workouts (karate, running, swimming) rather than attending 4-5 days a week, as other Crossfitters do.  So when we do the Crossfit workout we are using muscles that we don't necessarily work regularly and subject them to a full-on assault. The resulting stiffness can be pretty severe. In this case, we use 30-minute epsom salts baths (the secret of pro football and basketball players) to extract the lactic acid after the workout, and I'll also apply DMSO to my stiff muscles following my shower.  DMSO is an anti-inflammatory and works amazingly well.

Next up, I can't say enough about finding a good massage therapist!  Massage is crucial to working out the blockages in the body that cause the knots in the muscles.  When I am home I try (with the accent on 'try') to get a 90-minute massage once a week.  My schedule doesn't always allow for it, but when it does my body receives all of the benefits.  Massage therapy opens up the lymph glands and allows the toxins to get out into the blood stream to be removed from the body.  It aligns the muscles and opens up our circulation, which in turn, allows the body to assume its proper posture.

Finally, the most important element of post-workouts - water.  I drink a LOT of water every day, along with a glass before I go to bed at night, and another one first thing in the morning when I awake.  Water is the base element of our physical body, so replenishing it with fresh water regularly is key to a rapid recovery after workouts.

As my old friend from the Montreal Canadiens, Bobby Nystrup said: "You take care of the body and the body takes care of you!"  I couldn't agree more...