EPSOM SALTS – THE GREAT EQUALIZER
For bootcampers hoping to get the very best out of their sessions there are two important words to remember.‘Epsom Salts’
Not just as an addition to a good old soak in the bath, but for the essential health benefits they have carried for hundreds of years.
Male or female, this clever pure mineral compound discovered at a saline spring in Epsom, Surrey, can boost your training in so many different ways. So what is it? Well, this versatile salt is a mixture of magnesium and sulfate, and you’ll know from previous blogs, the former can regulate nerve function and help the 325 vital enzymes in your body work to their complete capacity.
SO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT EPSON SALTS CAN DO?
It’s a very good question and apart from relaxing muscles, reducing any worrying feeling of stress and increasing general well being, the salts can facilitate a great number of other wonderful benefits. For one thing they are easily absorbed through the skin and can quickly reduce inflammation, to aid rapid healing and reduce soreness of any kind.
I mentioned stress, and this can actually drain lots of magnesium from the body, increasing adrenaline, which isn’t always a good thing. Soaking in Epsom Salt will enable the production of serotonin, the chemical working with the brain to create relaxation and calm in all of us. But there’s more.
Because the human skin is a highly porous membrane it can help what is known as, ‘Reverse Osmosis’, which pulls salt out of the body and harmful toxins with it. Most bodily functions can be aided by regular bathing and this includes muscle control and sharpness, two vital tools at bootcamp.
BUT GET THIS
Bathing in Epsom Salts three times each week can increase your levels of stamina and energy – yes – without much effort on our part! The magnesium helps to create what we call ATP or adenosine triphosphate, crucial to filling energy packets in our cell tissue. In short, the salts can charge you up for the next bootcamp session. Let’s be honest when our energy levels are high it makes us feel really good about the world.
HAS MUCH RESEARCH BEEN DONE?
It’s true to say very few in depth research studies have been carried out involving Epsom salts, though the school of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham did confirm the positives of regular bathing.
They recruited 10 male members and 9 female members of staff from the school for a special experiment. All were in good health and taking no medication, but it was crucial none of the subjects aged between 24 and 64, smoked more than 5 cigarettes a day or drank more than 2 units of alcohol daily.
Following initial pilot studies, all the subjects took 12 minute baths at temperatures of between 50 and 55 degrees Celsius. They added varying amounts of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) to the bath before going in, ensuring the salts were completely in solution.
Without throwing mountains of figures and percentages at you in one go, the researchers discovered levels of both magnesium and sulphate quickly increased in the body of each subject. This also confirmed, bathing was the best and safest way of ingesting these valuable minerals. The values obtained indicate most people would find maximal benefit by bathing two or three times each week, using 500 to 600g of Epsom salts every time.
www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/…s/report_on_absorption….. for more information on this study
A PRICELESS FUNCTION
Epsom salts can perform one priceless function in regulating the elasticity of the arteries in our body, thus preventing blood clots, strokes and sudden heart attacks. Blood circulation is improved which obviously helps bring better results at bootcamp. You know what they say? ‘Look after your heart and your heart will look after you’.
As for other health giving properties did you know the salts can help increase the efficiency of insulin in the body?Your electrolytes are crucial to efficient muscle and nerve function, needing calcium to act as a conductor. The magnesium in the salts combines with this calcium to make it much more effective, and the results are excellent in terms of our all round muscle structure. And of course you’ll help prevent those dreaded and uncomfortable muscle cramps
All of these things can help anyone on a balanced training programme greatly over time, linked to a healthy diet. In fact, bathing in Epsom Salts will help you sleep better too, as the magnesium ions get to work. The joints will thank you for it helping to ward off arthritis or osteoporosis, and your skin will both look and feel much better. Soaking in Epsom Salts can dispose of foot odour and act as an effective treatment for toe nail fungus.
IMPORTANT EXTRAS
It can even cure constipation but only under the supervision of your doctor. The truth is it’s been proven to help improve a number of digestive maladies and add equilibrium to your whole digestive system. Is there anything Epsom Salts can’t do? Well apart from paying your subs.
SO WHERE CAN I BUY EPSOM SALTS?
Any good herbal or health shop worth their salt (unable to resist that one)! Will supply tubs to last you a good while. You can buy Epsom Salts online from the reputable dealers at reasonable cost in all sorts of different sized bags. In fact, you can even purchase the lavender variety, but do some research first to ensure what you buy is 100 per cent pure. Your body deserves a little investment now and again.
SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM THIS?
Epsom salts can certainly work wonders for our all round health, but it isn’t just about assisting the physical body as they can also help balance your mind and soul. All of these things together are an important part of who we are and how we function, and this can all improve our performance at bootcamp.
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