Exercising is such a wonderful thing to do and you always feel so much better afterwards. You feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the world and then muscle soreness sets in and you ask yourself why you exercised. There are many reasons for muscle soreness. Might be due to lack of exercise, could be that it is a totally different type of workout to what you usually do, to not having warmed up to begin with or overworking certain areas. All too often when exercising, it feels so good that we get a little vigorous and carried away and then we start feeling the burn shortly later. Have no fear, it will subside and there are things you can do to help ease the pain.

When the pain kicks in and you begin to struggle walking up the stairs and even sitting on the loo becomes a challenge, the best thing I personally do to treat my muscles is to stretch. For myself I normally feel it after 24 hours. Of course I stretch after my workout but I also focus on a 1 – 2 minute stretch on each muscle that’s sore the next day. So try holding each stretch deeper and for longer than a minute so you can feel the intensity of the stretch which most definitely will ease the your sore muscles.

Another way would be to apply ice packs or something cold. This will help relieve the pain and inflammation. A general rule is 5 minutes on and then 5 minutes off. It’s a great idea to do this as often as you can. You will feel the relief right away once you apply the ice, it’s also good straight after the ice treatment to try to flex and move the area a little bit each time. Ice packs work perfectly or you can use a bag of frozen peas which will do the trick just as well. You can also try a magnesium based gel or a freeze gel which is activated on contact with the skin.

After 24 hours it is a great idea to then alternate the hot and cold. Doing this therapy will mean you will notice a dramatic difference, during the first three days. The combination of the hot and cold therapy is almost like flexing your muscles, which the afflicted area needs. It will hurt much more if you don’t treat it and you don’t attempt to move it. This little bit of pain from treatment and moving is much better than having it seize up. Just remember to do this in moderation, as the body needs the rest as well. Your body will tell you when you have had enough or not enough of either.

Naturally another tip is to make sure that before you exercise you have warmed up your body. A body will be less likely to hurt when it is limber and warmed up. The other is to do a gradual workout. Don’t try to do all of it at once. Start slower and work yourself and your body up to a bigger workout gradually. You don’t need to kill yourself, the key is to feel good and enjoy your workout.

Hope this helps you out!

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Posted in Motivation, Other Helpfull Stuff by Jango | No Comments Yet