Tennis Anyone?

I recently got back into tennis and realized how much the game has changed since I picked up a racket back in the day.  People are now whacking the ball like they all want to be Serena. I found my timing was slightly off and my reaction time was too slow, forcing to make a lot more errors than I remember.  After a round of lessons I got my groove back and found how much fun tennis is again. I make it a point of getting out after dropping off the kids in the morning and I love how it gets my endorphins going.

The problem of course is that I’m not 21 anymore (nor 15 like Coco Gauff) for that matter.  Arms and legs ache and the recovery takes a little longer. So what’s behind this soreness? It’s the tiny tears in the muscle fibers and connective tissue which rebuilds later on stronger.  The pain is what we need to get through before our muscles get stronger. Coping with the pain typically meant popping a few Advils but my routine has changed with Verima’s CBD. In my tennis bag I carry the acupressure roller and before warm up, I make it a point to apply it to my “tennis elbow” to prevent the inevitable soreness that will occur.

I like how the roller ball tip is made of durable metal giving it some heft and I use it as a massager before tennis and right after.  Massaging it into the muscles helps to improve circulation of bodily fluids and decrease inflammation of muscles.

After a round of doubles, and the coach reminding me a dozen times to “windshield wiper” my wrist, I make sure I drink plenty of water and apply a little more CBD to my elbow and to the back of my neck.  At home my post workout recovery includes an icepack on my knees and the pain relief salve. In the evening is when I use a heating pad to help with the healing and recovery and I touch up my elbow and knee with a little more CBD salve.  So ice first and then heat. 

By the way, a tennis ball is great when you don’t have a foam roller handy.  I roll a ball in the back of my calves to soften the muscle tissue to “get the kinks out” and keep my legs elastic and pliable.  It’s going to hurt the first few times but it will stop after a while and it’s really helped me feel better. In my next article I will share more in detail on self-myofascial release or SMR which can really help get those tight muscles and tendons to loosen up.

What I’m trying to do as I get back into the swing of things is to avoid the drugx s.  Ibuprofen has risks of stomach irritation and can cause bleeding in the stomach and I feel people just pop too many pills as it is.  Forget the pills, grab a tennis ball and some CBD. For me it’s about natural healing and back to Tennis.