How to ease muscle soreness after exercise

How to ease muscle soreness after exercise

If you’ve just started your exercise program, changed a particular routine in it or increased the intensity and/or duration of your favorite workout, chances are your body will feel the strain of the activity after it has been carried out.

Delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS is common among people who are new to exercise or who have raised the bar on their current workout plans. Your muscles will feel sore and overused 12-48 hours after your exercise.

If you’ve been out of shape for a long time, don’t be discouraged if your body feels too painful to walk with at the start of your new exercise program. DOMS is actually a common post-exercise experience across all kinds of people, and this does not usually last for very long.

Once your body adjusts itself to the intensity of your exercise routine, you will no longer feel the soreness in your muscles and you will be able to carry out the routine without any difficulties. Your muscles have finished repairing and rebuilding itself, and as a result of your regular and repetitive exercise, they will become stronger in the long run.

How do you help your body recover during the DOMS phase? There are simple, fuss-free ways for you to speed along the adjustment process and ease the pain. Here’s how:

  1. Soak in a hot bath. The warm water will make your circulation more efficient, thus helping your muscles relax more.
  2. Do a cool down routine. After intense and prolonged workout, your muscles must slowly come to a stop. That’s why you need to do post-stretching activities that will increase blood circulation and soothe the pain.
  3.  Give your body time to wind down. Don’t push your body to the limits. Even if you’re a diehard gym buff, forcing your muscles to work out a day after they have been stretched and used too much is a big mistake. Not only will the pain last longer, you are also exposing yourself to serious muscle injury.
  4. Massage your pain away. Go for a light but penetrating massage on your sore body parts. It might hurt a bit during the first few minutes, but soon enough you will feel the stiffness seep away.
  5. Warm up completely before your next workout. After your body has recuperated from the intense workout, make it up to par again by going through a full warm-up routine before embarking on your next exercise.