Sinful Sunday: Bathing by Candlelight

It’s that time of year when those of us in the northern hemisphere slip into comfortable autumnal routines. Stews in the slow cooker and thick, warming soups. Sunday mornings in bed with the sound of rain on the rooftops to lull us back to sleep. Stamping through piles of leaves, puddles of water, and pools of softly shimmering sunlight, all in the same journey.

As the weather turns, one of my favourite things to do is come back from an afternoon hockey match and jump straight into a hot bath. This is a relatively new routine – or rather, a routine I’ve slipped back into recently after years of preferring a post-match shower. Obviously Liv has a lot to do with that! Taking a bath is much more enjoyable when someone else runs it for you, adds relaxing bubble bath, lights candles, and provides company – either in the tub or beside it.

Yesterday my muscles were especially sore, after a gruelling but ultimately triumphant afternoon game. My thigh hurt, my groin was tight, and even a large glass of red wine wasn’t quite enough to take the edge off. As ever though, half an hour in the bath had a miraculous effect, on both my body and my general mood. By the time I stepped out, I was ready for anything Saturday night wanted to throw at me (in this case, lasagna and three episodes of Killing Eve on the sofa, but that’s not the point…).

I also noticed that, three weeks into the season, my hockey fitness is starting to return – helped by 8 hours of tennis coaching in Spain last weekend. My core feels stronger and my legs more explosive, thanks to all those short sprints and the crouching, lunging, twisting movements I force my body to push itself through on a Saturday afternoon. I have better quad definition again, which is an exceptionally vain thing to care about, but I guess we all have our own body image triggers – good and bad.

Soon enough, autumn will turn into winter and our routines will change with the season. For all the exciting developments that are about to take place in our life, my Saturday post-hockey bath is one thing that I hope will continue through till April – bubbles, candles and all!