How to Soothe Your Sore Muscles After a Workout

If you’ve ever pushed yourself to the point of muscle soreness, you know how bad it can hurt! From walking up stairs to sitting down in the car, your whole body feels the pain of your hard work at the gym, and it can be hard to recover. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to speed up the recovery process and soothe your sore muscles after a workout. Here are 5 proven ways to relieve that ache fast!

Warm Up Properly

When you know what to do before and after your workout, muscle soreness can be prevented. Here are some easy ways to warm up:
-Walk for 10 minutes on an incline before running or engaging in other high intensity activities. -Stretch before and after exercise with exercises focused on the lower back, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, calves, and the upper back.

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Do dynamic stretches where you walk up and down stairs or do light jogging as opposed to static stretches that do not use momentum. This will help prevent injuries and muscle soreness. However, if you already have muscle soreness from exercising this week, here are some tips for relief:
-Apply ice packs to affected areas for 15-20 minutes.

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It is important to keep ice moving over the area of pain so it does not freeze any one spot. Wrap ice packs in towel and apply to pain areas of knee or other joints if necessary. Repeat every 2 hours until pain subsides; then switch out the cold pack with a heating pad set at medium-low heat (or take an ibuprofen).

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Heat therapy helps muscles recover faster by increasing blood flow through tissue, which stimulates muscle regeneration. However, it is important to discontinue heat therapy once there is no more muscle soreness since too much heat can worsen injury symptoms.

Stretch Smartly

To soothe muscle soreness after your workout, try these stretches:
-Forward lunge stretch (step one foot forward, bend knee and reach arms overhead) hold for 30 seconds then switch sides. Do 5 reps.
-Calf stretch (standing with back straight and bring toes of back foot towards shin of front leg) hold for 30 seconds then switch sides. Do 5 reps.

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Pigeon pose (begin on hands and knees, step the right foot between the left leg’s outer hip and thigh, extend arm out in front of the body on floor then lower forehead onto mat or pillow) hold for 45 seconds then switch sides. Do 3 reps. Take a shower.

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Spend some time laying down, taking care not to slouch while resting as this will increase muscle tension. A hot bath is another option if you’re trying to relax after exercise because it can also help reduce muscle stiffness.

If you need an additional treatment, you could try icing or using heat to provide temporary relief from muscle soreness which will be useful for easing any discomfort during exercises and preventing future problems.

Get Enough Sleep

You need at least seven hours of sleep per night for your body to recover from hard workouts. You should try and go to bed around the same time every night. It might be tough, but turn off all electronics an hour before you plan on going to bed.

No texting, no video games, and absolutely no TV! Try reading something (other than a text book) in the hour before bed. All this will do is help get your mind off school or work. Not only will it put you into the correct mindset for sleep, but it can also relieve stress that has built up during the day.

Body aches are another thing that can keep us awake when we’re trying to fall asleep. Drink Some Tea: Hot tea helps with inflammation which means less pain after working out. Make sure not to drink too much though because too much caffeine could actually keep you awake later that night.

Heat Therapy: Sometimes when we workout our muscles tighten up because they are trying to protect themselves against damage which leads to body aches the next day. Take a hot bath with Epsom salts and put an ice pack on your sore muscles while they’re soaking in hot water – they’ll feel better afterward!

Use the Right Equipment

You need the right equipment and knowledge of what tools will give you the best possible relief. The following list includes some of the most helpful equipment, as well as tips on how to use them:
*Ice packs are one of the best way s to soothe sore muscles. Use them every 10-15 minutes for 20 minutes at a time
*After using ice packs, apply heat packs
*Resting after a workout is also important; make sure you get enough sleep and take your time moving around *Protein shakes provide an excellent source of post-workout protein and will help boost muscle recovery.

They are especially good for people who have intense workouts. Protein shakes can be made with milk or yogurt and can contain fresh fruit, frozen fruit, nuts or even oats in order to provide more nutrients. A shake that contains liquid form of food makes it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients that it needs.

Fuel Properly

A long workout can make your muscles feel sore and stiff, but with these eight tips you can help soothe the pain. First, consider what you ate before and during your workout.

Food is fuel for your body and it takes at least two hours for food to be digested and released into the bloodstream; if you don’t eat before or after a workout, your muscles may lack enough nutrients they need to repair themselves.

Second, hydrate! Drinking water helps remove the lactic acid that builds up in your muscles after working out. Third, use ice packs on areas of high muscle concentration (quadriceps, glutes) for 15-20 minutes at a time for about an hour after exercising.

Fourth, give yourself a massage! Use your hands or tennis balls on tight spots. Fifth, do some stretching exercises after a workout to loosen up tight muscles and improve flexibility. Sixth, remember that rest days are important too – as much as we want to go hard every day, our bodies need time to recover from strenuous exercise and process all the changes we put them through during workouts.

Seventh, take a hot bath! It will relax tense muscles and reduce inflammation. Finally, try not to repeat the same exercises over again until soreness goes away completely – this will allow your body more time to recover in between workouts which will help prevent injuries down the line.

Listen to your body

There’s always some muscle soreness when you’re starting a new workout, but here are some simple things you can do to help it feel better: – Drink lots of water. – Get plenty of sleep. – Get in 10 minutes of stretching before and after your workout.

Do short light walks on rest days. – Make sure your posture is good when you work out and keep it that way throughout the day by paying attention to how you’re sitting, standing, or walking.

Give yourself lots of time at the end of your workouts to let the muscles recover before doing anything else (taking care of kids, running errands).

Avoid driving for at least two hours after working out. And be careful if you’re really feeling shaky and tired because this could be a sign of delayed onset muscle soreness from overdoing it during your workout.

Avoid Overtraining

A common mistake people make is overtraining themselves. This can lead to body aches and a feeling of lethargy the next day. To help avoid this, try avoiding strenuous workouts and going for more moderate exercises.

Another thing you could do is stretch regularly before bedtime to ease any tension that has built up in your muscles during the day. These two tips will help prevent any soreness and muscle fatigue while also preventing you from overworking yourself.

And if you are experiencing some body aches or discomfort, go ahead and reach out to a medical professional. It’s important not to wait too long because that might just make it worse! When you wake up with muscle soreness after exercising, take these few steps to soothe your muscles:
-Give yourself time for the pain: Keep in mind that muscle soreness should be temporary so don’t expect it to stop immediately. If you want immediate relief from pain then talk to a doctor about what treatments they offer.

Use an ice pack: Place an ice pack on your sore muscles for 20 minutes every hour as needed until the pain goes away (it’ll feel like needles poking into your skin at first but it’ll soon turn numb). You may have difficulty sleeping due to all the new pressure on your muscles but placing another ice pack on top of your clothes may help alleviate some of that pressure.