There is no doubt that exercise is good for our health and that we should do this every once in a while. However, although exercising may improve our brain health, strengthen our bones, decrease the chances of illnesses, and help against obesity, exercising may cause muscle soreness, especially if you still aren’t used to constant exercising.
Muscle soreness is always common after exercising, and you can’t avoid it. But you can still do something to lessen the pain. Some of the ways that you can ease muscle soreness are by taking medicine or ointments such as Medterra CBD oil, aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Continue reading to learn more about how to relieve muscle soreness after exercise.
- Keep moving. Although muscle soreness actually comes from exercising, it is also recommended not to stop moving during your muscle soreness. I’m not saying you should continue exercising or do heavy activities; keep moving simply means just doing light activities around your home. Some of these examples are walking, stretching, or lightly cleaning your room.
- Use a heat pack. Applying something hot against your skin may also relieve muscle soreness as heat can boost blood circulation. You can also have a warm bath after exercising in order to relax your muscles. However, if you find your skin swelling, this may be a sign of an injury. And instead of using a heat pack, use an ice pack instead.
- Massage. It has been proven that getting a gentle massage after working out can also be one of the ways to relieve muscle soreness! Massage can provide numerous benefits to your body, including increased blood circulation, reduced muscle soreness, improved joint muscles, and improved mood. It also feels good!
- Eat healthy and hydrate. Of course, eating healthy and drinking water regularly is important in healing your sore muscles. Healthy foods will provide the nutrients and vitamins your body needs to repair its sore muscles. Thus, during your post-workout muscles, eat wisely and don’t be hungry. Water is also important for relieving muscle soreness as it controls our body temperature, flushes out damaged muscles, and hydrates us. Dehydration should be avoided at all costs during muscle soreness, because without water, the healing process of your sore muscles may take longer!
- Rest. Lastly is taking a rest. This means not excessively using your body to exercise and temporarily avoiding doing heavy activities. By taking time to rest, your sore muscles can focus on their own healing and your body can regain its lost energy. Remember that resting is always crucial for a fast recovery.
Muscle soreness may usually take an average of 1 day up to a week before fully subsiding. Muscle soreness is indeed annoying. However, this article will teach you more about the procedures you can do before working out so you can lessen the pain of the exercise aftermath: sore muscles.
- Warm-up. Warming up is extremely important before working out and shouldn’t be skipped! Through warming up or stretching, you can prepare your muscles for the activity. Perhaps 10–30 minutes of warming up will do it.
- Don’t push yourself too much. Remember that your body will always have its own limits! Excessively exercising your body even though you’re already drained could have a bad effect on your body and may even cause serious problems. If you can feel that your body can no longer take more exercise, stop. Not pushing yourself to your limits can reduce muscle soreness.
- Be smart in choosing your exercises. If you are still a beginner, refrain from choosing exercises that only the pros can do. As mentioned, not pushing yourself to your limits can keep your body safe and prevent the amount of pain from having sore muscles. Choose bearable exercises and gradually try the hard ones once you’ve accustomed yourself.
- Hydrate yourself. Before exercising, provide your body with the right amount of water it needs to supply your muscle with sufficient energy before working out. Drink 20 ounces of water 2 hours before exercising, and another 20 ounces 30 minutes before.
Now that you know the right procedures before exercising and the ways to relieve muscle pain, you can now conduct your physical activities. Taking care of your body is always important and should be practiced.
