Exercise is a vital part of an active and healthy lifestyle. It can improve your lungs and heart while making the muscles and bones strong. However, exercise may also result in sore muscles.
So what causes muscle soreness?
Muscle soreness serves as a signal that your muscle tissues are damaged. When this micro-tearing or damage happens, your body will start the repair procedure by triggering inflammation on the injured sites.
Fluid also accumulates in the muscle, exerting more pressure on damaged spots. This, in turn, results in pain and a familiar sensation of tightness, which may develop after 20 hours.
There is a varying degree of pain, based on the amount of damage and other several factors, such as genetics. To help you learn more about muscle soreness and how you can ease it, here are ways to consider:
1. Stay Hydrated
After a difficult long run or exercise, you need to hydrate within the first 15 minutes of stopping. Even when the temperature is downright cold or cool, you will still sweat, making it necessary to replace the lost fluid.
Lack of electrolytes normally contributes a lot to muscle soreness, making it necessary to stay hydrated. When exercising, it means the muscles are working even harder – meaning they need more oxygen.
The best way to keep the hydration level high is to have one or two bottles of water with you when exercising.
You may also want to make sure you replace the fluid lost during the exercise once you’re done working out, but avoid beverages rich in more:
- Caffeine
- Salt
- Sugar
2. Have a Massage
Getting a massage may boost blood flow, increase the motion in your joints, and relieve muscle tension. In fact, a recent study shows that using topicals like Fisiocrem gel to massage after exercising can significantly minimize pains by decreasing the production of cytokines.
Consequently, a massage can also stimulate mitochondria in cells, which promotes cell repair and function.
Whether you want to consider a therapist or self-massage, getting a rubdown can break down the lactic acid that causes muscle soreness and pushes pooled fluid out of your body, enabling you to recover faster.
3. Consider Your Diet
Under training conditions, a healthy diet and good nutrition are vital to have sore muscle relief and get some antioxidants where they should be. For an additional boost, you may work tart cherries in your daily or regular diet.
A few servings every week, along with a nutrition-rich diet, will also be enough for your training, but if you’re looking to gear for a marathon, it can help to change to a once-daily plan.
This means taking a cup of coffee an hour or so before training may increase performance while reducing fatigue and muscle soreness. Plus, caffeine has some killing elements, making it a suitable ingredient in several OTC medications.
To Sum-Up!
If you fail to allow your muscles to recover properly and fully after a workout, it means you will put yourself at a greater risk of being injured.
Whether you train to be in tip-top shape or are just an athlete, a perfect way to reduce muscle recovery is to get a massage, hydrate, and consider good nutrition.
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