Laura: Fat to Fit: Compression

The Benefits of Compression Gear + SKINS Compression Review

3/15/2017

Compression garments.. they've been around for a long time! They were/are primarily used in the medical field to improve symptoms related to Diabetes and Arthritis and to aid in circulation(I wore a fetching pair for Surgery to help prevent blood clots due to lack of movement).

They're also seen on a lot of Athletes and Runners. I see an abundance of knee-high socks at races and figure hugging nylon tights and tops. I'm one of those runners.. but what is compression gear and whats it used for? Well, I'll fill you in below, with some of my thoughts on compression clothing and a little review on some compression pieces I've been trying out.

What are the benefits of wearing compression gear?

Compression gear is designed to help with the circulation of blood flow through the body to the working muscles and back to the heart and lungs. Increased oxygenation of the blood aids in helping your muscles warm up faster, perform better and recover faster.

During exercise, the body produces lactic acid as a waste product. If this lactic acid isn’t removed from the muscles, it can contribute to decreased ability to perform, fatigue of the muscles and can contribute to muscle soreness. Increased velocity of blood from wearing compression gear means that the deoxygenated blood and lactic acid will get back to the heart quicker.

The little vibrations of your leg muscles whilst running adds up and can lead to muscle fatigue. Compression gear is also used to stabilise and decrease the amount of muscular vibration that occurs during exercise/running.

My thoughts on compression clothing

There are many different benefits of wearing compression gear, both during and after a workout/run. For a few years, I’ve used compression sleeves both during and after races.. and more recently I’ve been wearing a pair of compression tights during training and races.

I love that compression garments can enhance your training and performance without really hindering you. You can wear them as and when you want, for harder training sessions, long runs, races.. or you can even wear them after races.. and even whilst you sleep(I don’t, but I know many do!)

There’s a lot of different opinions and research on whether or not compression gear does actually benefit you or not. Some say it’s just a placebo effect but there is also a lot of research behind compression gear and it’s benefits too(SKINS have a whole page on research summaries HERE).

Irregardless of the research/opinions, I love how they feel when I'm wearing them for running, I definitely noticed a difference between my performance and endurance during long runs from before I started wearing compression sleeves to after, I don't feel as fatigued earlier in a run and recovery afterwards is much smoother!

SKINS Compression Review

A while back, I had the privilege of being able to pick out and try two pieces from SKINS, which included new items and prints they brought out back in Feb. I’ve used SKINS compression before, I have a pair of compression socks that I use for my long training runs and races, so I was excited to try out their clothing pieces.

I picked out a pair of 3/4 length Superpose tights in the new Botanica Print(which is amazing! And looks so much better in person than in the photos!) I also got one of their Code Cap Sleeve Tee’s in a gorgeous pink colour(colour isn’t available for some reason!)

As I mentioned, the tights are amazing! When they arrived, I wasn’t quite sure they would fit me as they looked pretty small! The size guide for SKINS was pretty odd, in the fact that you chose your size based on your height and your weight. I was smack bang in the middle of two sizes and it recommended sizing down in that case, so I went with a Medium. Compression is supposed to be pretty snug on the body and the sizing was actually perfect and the tights fit like a dream.

I must say, I'm not the most confident in tighter fitting clothing, so I loved the fact that the superpose tights had a lightweight mesh shorts attached for some extra coverage(they can’t be removed).

I was a little apprehensive that the tights wouldn’t stay up too, they’re just an elasticated waist and unless they’re a tie waist. I almost always have trouble, but these were no bother, I've not once had to pull them up! Winner!

The tights have 50+ UV protection, are sweat wicking and have biomechanically positioned panels and seams that support and stabilise the muscles to reduce fatigue and risk of injury.

I’ve worn the tights on most of my training runs since receiving them and for the Winter Run back in Feb where I got my PB.. I felt awesome throughout the race and rather than feeling particularly sore the next day(as I expected to after pushing a PB out), I was actually feeling pretty epic, with very minimal soreness for a change!

The top is great too. SKINS have lots of compression tops, but tight tops are not my thing, so I went with the Cap Sleeve, looser tee. The colour is beautiful and the feel of the material is lovely and very well made. I love the cap sleeves, prefer them over normal sleeves as they’re not restricting and allow better movement of my arms.

The tee is really flattering with a drop tail hem for added coverage and is really light with quick dry fabric(which was a god send for Cambridge Half when it p*ssed it down! ;) ). It also has flat locking seems.. so no chaffing!

Overall, I’m totally impressed by the SKINS clothing line, I bought another pair of compression sleeves in their Junkyard Geo print - so I’m already a fan of their gear!

The tights come in at £70 and the tee at £25. Typically, There would be no chance I would pay that much for a pair of tights, compression wear can be quite expensive. However, I think you’re paying for the quality of the items(and the print is amazing! <3) and I know that I’m gonna get a lot of uses out of both these items(I already have tbh) before having to replace them.. so I think they’re worth the investment!

Question: Do you own any pieces of compression gear? If so, what do you wear?

Disclosure: I received a top and tights from SKINS for free in return for an honest review. I am not being paid to talk about or advertise any of these products. All opinions are as always, my own and are not affected by items gifted to me. See my policy page HERE for more detail.

Like this post?

Follow me on Bloglovin' OR Subscribe for Email Updates

Other places to find me:

** Twitter ** Instagram ** Pinterest ** Facebook ** Google+ ** Youtube **

Cold Therapy

Hot Vs Cold Therapy & Compression ft. NatraCure

8/25/2015

For full disclosure purposes, I received a Hot/Cold Compression Cuff from Natracure for free in return for an honest review. I am not being paid to talk about or advertise their products. All opinions of the product are my own.

This post is WAY overdue and should have been done a while back! As you would have known if you've been following me for a while, I got an injury a few months ago which was causing major issues with running and half marathon training. I was getting pain and spasms in my calves which made it very uncomfortable for me to run.

Obviously, rest is the most important when you're injured but I also found that compression and hot and cold therapy have also helped a bunch!

Compression can be used to help limit the swelling to an injured area, provide extra support to the injured area and for some people, also provides some pain relief with regards to an injury.

Compression can also help with muscle soreness too. You will often see runners and athletes wearing compression socks(sometimes during) and particularly after exercise - compression increases blood flow to the area and can help you recover quicker, experience decreased muscle soreness and less fatigue!

Heat and Cold are the two most common types of pain relief therapies that people use to relieve muscle and joint pain. However, people are often confused as to which type of therapy they should use dependent on their pain.

There are different benefits to using both hot and cold therapy, here are some benefits of each:

Heat Therapy	Cold Therapy
Opens up blood vessels	Slows down blood flow
Increases Blood Flow	Reduces Inflammation and swelling
Supplies oxygen and nutrients to reduce pain in joints	Relieves pain by numbing area
Relaxes Muscles

In general, it is recommended that cold therapy is used on acute injuries such as sprained ankles, muscle tears, bruises and inflammation within 24-48 hours of the injury occurring. When an injury first occurs, this usually comes with bruising, the area swells and becomes inflamed, cold therapy helps to reduce these symptoms.

Sore and stiff muscles and re-occurring pain is treated better with heat therapy because the heat helps to relax the muscle and can also be used to increase mobility. Heat therapy can help to ease and alleviate muscle soreness after an intense workout.

Of course, there are various products that can be used for heat/cold therapy such as ice/heat packs, plain old ice wrapped in a towel, hot water bottle.

***

I was kindly given a Hot/Cold Compression Cuff from NatraCure to aid with my recovery from Injury. NatraCure is a company that offers innovative therapies including these hot/cold compression products for people with chronic pain or injuries. There are lots of other products available on their website which are better suited for different parts of the body.

The cuff is aimed to be used on your arm/calf(or any part of your body where you can wrap the cuff around securely) and is similar to a blood pressure cuff at the doctors except this has a heat/cold pack that can be attached with Velcro.

Since I had already had my injury before receiving this product and was not really experiencing any inflammation, I never got the chance to use the cuff with cold compression(though Phillip used the pack cold for his toe after he kicked his bike and broke it!). I used warm compression for my injury as it aided with relaxing the muscles and relieving the pain and muscle spasms that I was experiencing.

The cuff itself was really easy to use. The hot/cold compression pack is attached to the inside of the cuff with velcro. When you're ready to use, you put on the compression cuff(which is also fastened with velcro), turn a valve on the side of the cuff to on and use the pump to get your desired compression, there is a small button on the pump to release some of the air if you need less compression.

The pack can either be put in the freezer for cold compression or can be put into the microwave for 15 seconds on each side for hot/warm compression.

Obviously, Heat/Cold packs applied to areas should not be applied for more than 20 minutes at a time - packs shouldn't be applied directly to the skin either! You should always place a thin towel or piece of material between the skin and the pack.

As I had to continue with my training for the Great North Run, the cuff came in handy for me to use after I'd gotten back from my run to aid with pain relief and spasms. After taking a 6 week break from all running, the issue was still there when I started to run again and Natracure came to the rescue. A few weeks after starting training(slowly, so I didn't do too much too fast), consistent use of my cuff after a run, adequate rest in between runs and wearing compression sleeves - my injury seemed to subside(YAY!).

Now, whenever I feel a niggle in that same area(partly worried the injury will come back) - I can easily whip out the cuff and ease any niggles or spasms that might be going on in my calves - and as I said, it's quite soothing to use to help relax my muscles - especially after a tough long run.

*** Please bear in mind that I am not a GP, this is just knowledge that I have picked up and research that I have done for my own injury. You should always consult a professional for assessment of an injury. ***

Question: Ever had an injury? What was the first thing you did when it happened?