Growing up I was not very active, I barely got through High School P.E. by the hairs of my chinny chin chin. I hated physical activity and only earned credits through the grace of God when one of the PE Teachers created a PE Dance class. Thank you, Mrs. B! The most active I have ever been in my life, until now, was when I belly danced and we went through great lengths to warm up and protect our bodies to prevent injury. Then, I started going to the gym after that part of my life was over and I came to fall in love with weight lifting and jogging but never made the time to stretch because it was boring as I was training by myself. Apparently it's more fun to stretch with belly dance music blasting, while you're wearing hip scarves, and surrounded by your sisters. Okay, mini trip down memory lane. But while in the gym, I went balls to the wall with my workouts. So naturally, I would end up injured in some capacity making ice and ibuprofen my best friends.
At home, I only have two ice packs that are meant to be wrapped around an ankle or an arm and that is it. That makes it hard to use on other parts of the body because of its small size. With injuries such as my lower back, I need something bigger. I could have someone place all of my lunch ice packs on my back but working with frozen pieces of naturally hard plastic is a chore and a half and awkward.
Quart or Gallon Freezer Ziploc bag (change recipe according to freezer bag size)
So I took to Pinterest and began to search for ways to prevent injuries and like a Godsend I came across a pin for homemade ice packs. You can make them with two simple ingredients and a third optional ingredient which I recommend.
Items Needed and Recipe
Quart or Gallon Freezer Ziploc bag (change recipe according to freezer bag size)
1 part Rubbing Alcohol
3 parts Water
Optional but recommended
Blue Food Coloring
**If you have kids or have a strong inner child throw in some glitter!
For example, In a quart sized bag I can fit in 1 cup Rubbing Alcohol, 3 cups water, and some blue food coloring and it is the perfect size for my knees or my tendinitis in my right ankle. My next ice pack will be in a gallon sized freezer bag and will fit perfectly on my lower back. Oh yeah! But the best part of this recipe? These ice packs mold to your body.
"Why is that Captain Ron?" Sorry, we quote that movie line a lot in my family, lol.
It molds to your body because the rubbing alcohol prevents the water from freezing completely so it is more of a thick slush that you can mold over your knee or elbow covering your injury perfectly. Imagine trying to use an ice pack from a lunch box on an elbow, it would not cover everything evenly, boo! I always place a thin towel to protect my skin from the ice.
Food Coloring Encouragement
The food coloring really is not necessary but in my house it is. You can use any color of food coloring to match your personality Generally the ice packs I have received from the Doctor are generally blue, so I am guessing blue is purely medicinal.
Let me share a story with you as to why I need to make new ice packs and with food coloring.
My brother was in need of ice for an injury and I had just made some ice packs. When his injury was healed I asked him for the ice packs back for my ankle. I even offered to let him keep them if he still needed them and I would make a new set but all I received was a funny facial expression and a confession that he had tossed them because he thought it was just a bag of water. Face, meet palm. I explained to him how they were a little different and he apologized and felt horrible but it is all good. No harm. I just made more but ever since then I made sure to add food coloring so people knew it was a little different then a bag of ice.
In hindsight, I could have labeled them with the recipe or something along those lines but since it is not 2005 anymore and I no longer burn mixes on CD's black sharpies are just not important in my life anymore, lol. In fact, I could not tell you where a sharpie in my house is these days.
I hope this recipe helps, Pass this link around and share the link with your friends. Happy and quick healing to you. Stretch, rest, and be kind to your bodies. Use your beast mode responsibly.
In hindsight, I could have labeled them with the recipe or something along those lines but since it is not 2005 anymore and I no longer burn mixes on CD's black sharpies are just not important in my life anymore, lol. In fact, I could not tell you where a sharpie in my house is these days.
I hope this recipe helps, Pass this link around and share the link with your friends. Happy and quick healing to you. Stretch, rest, and be kind to your bodies. Use your beast mode responsibly.
