A Treat for Tired Muscles? Mio Workout Wonder VS Neal's Yard Arnica Salve

I've been eluding to a serious workout routine on this blog for a while now, and I figured I should probably just out myself. The intense fitness class I've been doing for the last 8 weeks is Pole Fitness. My friend and I signed up when we found a Groupon offer and thought for £18, the 6 1-hour-long sessions would be at least a laugh if nothing more.

After I got home from week 1 having fully enjoyed myself I was glad I did it, but within days my muscles were aching and I found even the smallest of movements painful and so invested in some muscle relief products, the two that I've tried being the Mio Workout Wonder and Neal's Yard Arnica Salve. I like both though I think they're good for different things and cater to different needs.

Firstly the Mio offering. This was the first muscle relief gel I'd tried and it really did the job. It was instantly cooling on my muscles as I worked it in and after the slightly uncomfortable tingling it left behind my muscles were completely ache free. It comes in a pump aplicato so you don't have to stick your fingers in pots which is nice and the smell is refreshingly minty. This is definitely an intense product and it really does leave a cold, tingly sensation behind for a good 10 minutes on application but if you're finding yourself struggling to move after a day at the gym this would be a good one for you.

The Neal's Yard product is less well-suited to what I want in a product like this, but for a typical program would probably work fine. It's designed to be used both before and after a workout however for Pole Fitness you can't use any form of moisturising product on your skin for 24 hours before a class due to it making you slip to easily and thus makes if difficult to hold poses. With this in mind I was only using the Arnica Salve after classes, and for a few days after my classes, it's a much more gentle formulation and so you can use it underneath your moisturiser every day if you want. With it being Neal's Yard it is 99% organic and doesn't contain any chemicals so if that's what you look for in products this might be a good one for you.

All in all I prefer the Mio Workout Wonder, the minty smell and the cooling sensation are just preferable to me personally but I still use and like the Arnica Salve.