Recovery

Recovery's a big issue in my mind lately. Not from some type of addiction, but from my workouts. I'm pushing (and pulling) to gain a few good pounds by lifting heavy weights approximately 3 days/week, and training jiu jitsu at varying intensities 5-6. Some of the days are the same days (e.g. I get up at 5 a.m., go lift, go to work, go to the academy, get home 10:15 p.m.), but it leaves me very few days to passively recover.

On reccomendation from a training partner, I have begun experimenting with Epsom Salt baths. So far, I have to say it appears to help, but that's purely anecdotal. I plan to look around for studies.

But there's a strange tie-in here that I'd like to address. Fabric softener.

We enlightened modern-day beings enjoy pretending that our skin is like some impenetrable, impermeable plastic-like barrier between our inner bodies and the world around us.

Claims that the chemicals found in liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets alike are known carcinogens have recently been brought to my attention. Thus far, I've found no known, reliable sources claiming this information, nor any peer-reviewed medical studies testing whether these chemicals cause harm just from being used in your washer/dryer. That being said, I don't consider it remotely implausible that we make ourselves sick in the name of static-free, soft, lavender scented clothing.

It's a thin line you have to walk if you want to avoid the perils of the Standard American Diet, the dangerous chemicals that make modern life possible, and the moral hazards inherent therein. But we all have to find where convention ends and crazy begins and try to walk that thin line. It's not a small task, but one the educated amont us have no choice but to undertake. I hope I can be of help. Please feel free to comment and provide information, request information, or ask my opinion on any topics you find relevant.