Guest blog by Neil Barnes, councillor at City of York Council
Heat treatment has long been linked to post exercise recovery and promoting good joint and muscle health. When Neil Barnes, councillor at City of York Council, embarked on an intensive training programme to run the Yorkshire Marathon, he got in touch with Dreamland UK.
Neil has a historical relationship with Dreamland UK, as the company helped set him on his way more than 30 years ago when staff at the former Hythe, Southampton plant raised the substantial sum of £1,200 to buy him a specialist sonic hearing aid. Neil was born with a severe hearing impairment, and is now giving something back to the community that helped him – through fundraising for Action on Hearing Loss by taking part in the ultimate endurance test.
As part of his training, Neil is using Dreamland’s Heatpad to enhance his post training recovery. Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) can impair a training regime and ultimately lead to injury, and many experts[1] agree that, following exercise, the best way to avoid DOMS is to alternate hot and cold temperatures on muscle groups.[2] Taking an ice bath immediately after training followed by a heat treatment from an external source like a heatpad an hour later stimulates blood flow and loosens sore muscles, which can help speed up the healing process for muscles damaged during training.
Neil takes up the story: “I’m attempting to follow a rigorous fitness and dietary regime (with the occasional break!) and am building up to the ultimate goal of completing the Yorkshire Marathon. My training programme includes taking part in the Leeds Half Marathon, the York 10K and the Great North Run, culminating in the Yorkshire Marathon in October 2017.
“It’s a significant personal challenge as I took up running just two years ago and only ran my first half-marathon – in Manchester – last October. In 2014 I was very overweight and, after losing four stone, have maintained my fitness through regular running.
“I’m so grateful to Dreamland for raising such a substantial sum, and to the various organisations and charities for the deaf that helped me over the years. Thanks to their support, I never fell behind as a disabled person and got a good education. I’m aiming to raise £2,000 for Action on Hearing Loss through fundraising to help others get the same support as I did.”
Dreamland’s Heatpad comes with the company’s proprietary Intelliheat technology and offers a three hour deep heat treatment in a soft, skin-friendly pad that moulds itself to the body. It offers a rapid heat up and is ideal for use on the back, neck, shoulders and abdomen, and costs less than 1p per use.
[1] Source: Samantha Clayton, ACE- and AFAA-certified personal trainer, Olympic sprinter, and women’s sprint coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, published at everydayhealth.com
[2] Source: Journal of Science and Cycling, October 2016
