The key to staying healthy is to exercise and make it an integral part of your lifestyle. But when you begin to exercise or try something new, you will often have sore muscles. These are common for beginners and signal that your muscles are being worked on and getting stronger.
Path To Healthiness
Your muscles will get sore after exercising, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Sometimes you will feel it right away, or up to several days later. It can peak from 8 hours to even up to 72 hours in some cases. During this time, the muscles repair and strengthen, so you must try to relieve muscle soreness by following some smart tips mentioned below.
- Stretch gently
- Over-the-counter pain medicines like ibuprofen, or natural alternatives
- Warm bath to increase blood flow
- Proper rest
- Massage of the muscles
- Ice the muscles to reduce inflammation
Sore muscles mean that you are getting stronger, fitter, and healthier. Moreover, the following are some things that you must further consider to decrease muscle soreness:
- Limited Rest: It is best to wait at least 48 hours before exercising the same muscles in the same manner you did before. You can lightly exercise them but not with the same intensity before 48 hours.
- Warm-Up: Warming up helps increase blood flow which is why it is advisable and is considered better than stretching. Try jogging, lifting light weights, skipping, or any other light exercise to warm up your body before getting into your workout.
- Work out to your capacity: It is admirable to try and push boundaries, but when it comes to exercising, take things slow. Increase your intensity gradually, or you might injure yourself. In case that happens and the pain persists, try visiting a Marietta pain clinic.
- Drink Water: Staying hydrated is important as it helps create energy by providing nutrients to your body. It also helps release tension among joints and reduce body temperature.
- Cooldown: It is advised to stretch after you work out, as it helps circulate blood from your muscles to your heart. It also helps in recovering from sore muscles.
- Use proper form and technique: Many people get injured due to not using poor exercise techniques, which causes strains and tears in muscles. These are most common when weightlifting as it is important to maintain your form while lifting, so try consulting a trainer at your gym to reduce the risk of possible injuries. Such is the case of a car accident chiropractor in Marietta, who will treat your muscles right and help you return to your fitness regime.
Things To Consider
As they say, ‘no pain, no gain’, sore muscles are normal and mean that your muscles have worked out and are now getting stronger while recovering. Sore muscles can happen due to using new muscles when starting a new exercise, muscles strain due to higher intensity, regular fitness routine, or minor tears in your muscle fibers. However, remember not to get carried away and overwork yourself because you might end up hurting yourself. Just take it slow, and you will eventually reach your fitness goal!