Advil for Exercise, Now Fully Endorsed

My online source for interesting factoids and ideaoids, the New York Times, ran an article last week suggesting that if you're mildly injured it's still a good idea to exercise, and the way to do it is to take an anti-inflammatory (aspirin or Advil) in advance...

Good advice. I heard it for the first time a couple of years ago from a friend. I'd been having trouble with yoga, about a half hour into the class my hip muscles would start to cramp, making things not quite as fun as they could be. "Just take two Advil 30 minutes before class" she said, "but not on an empty stomach". It was a miracle solution. Only problem is that yoga is best done on an empty stomach. So here's the solution to that secondary problem. Either take the Advil a couple of hours in advance with food (2.5 hours or more is best for yoga), the Advil will still work, or, if it's last minute, then Advil with a spoonful of yogurt is fine. It won't impede your yoga, and it buffers the caustic feeling of Advil on an empty stomach.

BTW, a few months after discovering this solution I talked with a dancer who told me she always takes a few Advil before every practice. So I'm in good company.