New Delhi: Post-workout Muscle soreness is common, but that doesn’t make it any more bearable for the people who are experiencing it. Don’t worry! We have come up with few tips that can help you in the recovery process.
Eat right
Your body needs protein to repair muscles, carbohydrates to fuel your next workout, and healthy fats to lubricate your joints. So it’s important to fuel up both before and after a workout. Eat a bowl of quinoa with steamed vegetables and chicken or nosh on a slice of peanut butter toast and an apple pre-or post-workout. The key is to not go hungry!
Hydrate
When it comes to muscle recovery, dehydration is one of your biggest enemies. To flush damaged muscle, you need fluid. A good rule of thumb is to gulp down 8 ounces of water for every 15 to 30 minutes of exercise. Skip this vital step, and your soreness will not only feel more intense, but it will also last longer, too. Try this: Step on a scale before and after your workout. Did you lose weight? Drink 8 ounces of water for every lost pound.
Warm-up
Take 10 to 15 minutes to stretch out your muscles before exercise with some stretching exercises followed by easy aerobic activity (a slow jog or a brisk walk). Make sure to get a good amount of blood flow to the muscles you’re training that day. The muscles should feel warm, especially if you’re running in cold weather. Not only will this strategy prevent injury, but it also primes your muscles for rebuilding post-activity.
Cooldown
Reverse the order of your warm-up, and you’ll have a solid cool down. Taking time to slow your workout, rather than just stopping cold turkey, can help prevent fluid from pooling in the muscles and joints. Plus, if your heart is really pumping, a 10 to 15-minute cooldown will help your breathing return to normal.
Get a rubdown. Massaging a sore muscle can help release tightness. Working through the knots helps the muscle relax. It also sends blood flow to the area and pushes pooled fluid out of the body, which helps speed recovery. A bonus: It feels good!
Consider topical solutions
While topical ointments like BenGay, Traumeel, Tiger Balm, and others don’t go deep enough to reach the muscle, they do contain ingredients that are cooling, numbing, and tingling. If you’re really sore, that coolness can overpower the pain, but it doesn’t speed muscle recovery.
Roll it out
Using a foam roller (a long, cylinder-like tool) increases blood flow to your muscles through applied pressure. Think of it as a cheap way to give yourself a deep tissue massage. By slowing rolling over areas of tension, you can help release tight muscles and speed up the healing and recovery process. After your workout, spend 10 to 15 minutes using a foam roller before starting stretching exercises. When the muscle is more relaxed, you’ll be able to stretch it further than if it’s still contracted.
Keep moving
Exercise may seem like a bad idea when your muscles are already suffering, but research confirms that light activity helps keep the blood circulating and speeds up the body’s ability to drain waste and chemicals linked with muscle aches.
