This post is sponsored by Amazing Oils.
This lovely batch of Amazing Oils Magnesium products arrived at the perfect time for me – the CrossFit Open was starting and my marathon training was ramping up.
For those not familiar with CrossFit it is a group class format of functional training performed at high intensity. Workouts involve a mix of movements including weightlifting, gymnastics, running and rowing.
The CrossFit Open is an annual event where hundreds of thousands of athletes from around the world do the same five workouts over a period of five weeks. The best athletes make it to Regional level, then the best from there go on the CrossFit Games held in America.
I am never making the CrossFit Games! But my intention in doing the CrossFit Open is not to make the games but to test myself. The workouts are super hard; they are physically and mentally challenging and you can always tell you have worked hard the next day through the aches or DOMS!
So over the last few weeks I have been completing a CrossFit open workout and then running my long run either on the same day or the day after. This is a lot for the body to endure for a once off, even more so for a period of five weeks.
Amazing Oils Magnesium Recovery Collection
My body however is holding up well, thanks in large part to the use of the Amazing Oils Magnesium Recovery range. The Recovery range of products are made up of pharmaceutical grade Magnesium chloride, menthol and Wintergreen. The last ingredients give the products a lovely fresh and crisp smell.
Amazing Oils are an Australian owned family business based on the Sunshine Coast. They were a family of Yoga teachers until a family member was diagnosed with a serious illness, when they then switched their focus to look for a natural remedy. They searched around the world but actually found a natural solution from Australian Salt Lakes in the form of ‘Magnesium Oil.’
Magnesium oil is a transdermal supplement, which means it is absorbed through the skin and they have created a range of products which can be used for babies, to athletes and everyone in between. And Magnesium oil isn’t an oil at all! It was originally given the name because of the oily texture created when magnesium chloride flakes are mixed with water.
As I mentioned in a post recently I have been taking Magnesium orally for a number of years – as recommended to me by a health practitioner to aid with recovery and sleep. I listen to many health and fitness related podcasts and recently many of them have been discussing how for recovery, magnesium is best used in its transdermal form.
A study often cited is the Effects of transdermal magnesium chloride on quality of life for patients with fibromyalgia: a feasibility study. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterised by chronic pain, fatigue, depression, and sleep disturbances. The study concluded that “transdermal magnesium chloride applied on upper and lower limbs may be beneficial to patients with fibromyalgia”.
Absorbing Magnesium Oil directly through your skin has greater benefits as it bypasses the digestive system, avoiding being watered down or causing any irritation to the stomach (diarrhoea) and going through the skin it gets straight to the tissues then is transported faster to cells throughout the body.
I did notice a difference when I started using Amazing Oils Magnesium Recovery products for the days after my open workouts, compared to just taking magnesium orally. I still had some soreness in my muscles after the first workout, due to the crazy load it put my back under, but compared to some of my peers, I was doing very ok!
When using the flakes in the bath, it is recommended to use the flakes in a bath 2-3 times a week for at least 15 minutes. As I am sure most parents can relate to, I don’t always make the time to soak in the bath a few times a week. And this is where Amazing Oils have designed products to help us out! They have Recovery Magnesium Towelettes which you can simply tear open and wipe on the part of the body that need it. My legs in this case after CrossFit Open workout 17.4!
I now have a stash of these towelettes in my gym bag. You can’t expect to do a hard work out, give the legs a wipe over once and all will be great. After a full day of physical activity one Saturday, I had a bath that night, then each day after I used the wipes on my legs to speed up recovery, so I could attack the next week’s work out fully recovered.
I also tried out the Recovery Magnesium Spray which I absolutely loved. I did a similar thing, with having baths on the weekend and then using the spray as needed after that. I found the spray gave me better results and it fitted nicely into my post shower routine. I would spray and rub it into my legs and then get dressed. I was initially worried it might mark my clothes, but it doesn’t at all.
Amazing Oils Magnesium Pain Relief Collection
I was pretty sceptical about how a transdermal application of magnesium would be able to offer me pain relief, but it took only one application to change this.
Unfortunately I have a bunion on my right foot. If you are not aware of what a bunion is it is a deformity of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint at the base of the big toe. It has been causing me pain for over a year and after I finally had it x-rayed late last year, the doctor referred me to a surgeon. 
Photo: Dr. James P. Ioli, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
I have chosen to manage it without surgery at this stage. So far this has meant wearing very boring shoes – no heels, nothing pointy, in other words, spending lots of time in my runners, ice packs and just coping with the pain. I can testify that bunions can be very painful! Thankfully I can now add, Amazing Oils Magnesium Pain Relief Roll On to my bunion management plan.
This roll on will not fix my bunion, it won’t make it go away or get better, but it does help me manage the pain with a 100% natural product. Since I first used it a couple of weeks ago, I have used it at least once a day. I apply it directly on the area before I put my socks and runners on and head out the door for a run or to go to CrossFit, then as needed through out the day.
The difference from this small change to what I do to manage the bunion has been huge. Pain has decreased dramatically. I still know it is there, but it doesn’t cause enough pain to make me really feel it, where as I would regularly need to give it a rub to try and ease the pain. And obviously if I am not feeling pain, I can perform my work outs better! It has made me feel like I can really keep going with out surgery (of which there is no guarantee it will remove all symptoms anyway).
I have been super impressed by the Amazing Oils Magnesium Range and will definitely continue using them. The Amazing Oils Magnesium Pain Relief Roll On and Recovery Magnesium Spray will now be staples in my health and fitness purchases.
You can see the full range of Amazing Oils products here and follow them on Facebook here.
Receive 15% off all Amazing Oil purchases!
Amazing Oils have kindly set up a coupon code for readers of Planning With Kids so you can receive 15% off all purchases. The code will be valid from April 6 until midnight AEST April 20, 2017.
To receive the discount simply enter the coupon ‘ PWK ‘ all uppercase letters in the coupon code box when you checkout at the Amazing Oils Online Shop. And if you try out the products, let me know what you think – I would love to hear!
Have you tried using magnesium for recovery or pain relief?
Please note this post isn’t offering medical advice, simply sharing my experience with the fantastic Amazing Oils Magnesium products.