April 7, 2024: Compression
My weekly Get Your Stuff Together Sunday email series gives you one actionable focus for the week that will make your life a little easier.
{Did you miss last week’s GYSTS email? No prob! Go here and scroll to the bottom for a complete archive of all GYSTS emails}
Do you remember the story about Serena Williams’ catsuit at the French Open and how it was later banned? The suit was not a fashion statement (though it was fierce) - it was a compression suit made for her to help with blood clots, an issue she had dealt with for years and especially after giving birth. This week, we’re going to talk about how you can embrace your inner Serena and use compression to relieve and manage pain.
The purpose of compression garments is to stimulate blood flow especially in the legs and feet. The body suit Serena wore was an extreme form of the normal compression methods recognized. Most associate compression with socks or stockings. The socks or stockings are tighter around the ankle and become less constrictive as they work up your body.
Due to gravity, the blood at the bottom of your body works harder to flow back to the heart. Compression socks are designed to gently squeeze the tissue to improve the blood flow to the heart and limit swelling. If you have poor circulation or other conditions, such as deep vein thrombosis or blood clots, this helps the blood from pooling and reduces swelling.
When you work on building muscle, you actually tear muscle tissue before it rebuilds itself to become stronger. Improving circulation with compression garments helps heal these tears and build muscle faster. On the other end of the spectrum, if you tear your muscles too much and end up with a sprain or strain the increased circulation combined with a pain reliever will help heal these aches and pains sooner.
While you’ll notice professional athletes wearing compression garments during their sport, the best time to utilize their healing benefits is after the activity. And while Serena’s catsuit was a unique form, compression garments are evolving. They come in different levels of tightness, some wick sweat, some are encouraged to wear when sleeping and they cover every muscle group to take advantage of the recovery benefits from everything from calves and biceps to glutes and hamstrings. There are even compression boots that use a pulse system to squeeze and massage the muscles and increase the blood flow through your muscles!
Serious training requires a serious recovery method and, however you use it, compression has become a trend for the recovery movement. Utilizing compression garments will ensure you don’t have to skip a gym day and keep you focused on those gains!
Next Sunday, we’ll talk about how the food industry is fooling you with food labels.
Want some expert help with reaching your health goals painlessly? Check out my programs! We’ll get everything taken care of in a way that fits into your current lifestyle so you never have to think about your health again. Love reading? I have books, too. Check out my books!
Do you have a friend who could stand to G(her)ST? Feel free to forward this!
I hope you have a wonderful week,
Kelly
My weekly GYSTS email give you one actionable thing to do for the week that will make you life a little easier. As "they" say, "Fail to plan; plan to fail." Get these emails (and more!) delivered right to your inbox by clicking HERE.