Some Effective ways to get rid of Muscle Soreness
What Is Muscle Soreness?
Working out can result in muscle soreness. While muscle soreness may sound simple enough, it can actually occur for a variety of reasons. Typically, muscle soreness is the result of lactic acid that builds up in the muscles during a workout. If you fail to stretch properly before and after a workout, this lactic acid stays in the muscles and, soon after, causes muscle soreness. You also feel muscle soreness because, during a workout, you are actually causing your muscles to tear. As a result of these tears, you may experience muscle soreness.
Why Muscle Soreness Occurs
Though muscle soreness is typical for people that work out, there are some simple reasons to explain why it occurs to some people and not others. For starters, muscle soreness frequently inflicts you if you start working out for the first time or the first time in a long time. Because your body is not used to working out and your muscles are not necessarily prepared for it, you are likely to experience some muscle soreness. The good thing is that, over time, your muscles will get used to you working out and they won't be sore all the time anymore.
If you push yourself particularly hard at the gym, there's still a chance that you will experience muscle soreness. But for the most part, you can work on your muscle without experiencing muscle soreness by making a schedule for going to the gym and sticking to it.
Home Remedies for Sore Muscles
Eat right
Your sore muscles need mainly protein along with carbs & fats to repair itself so whether you're working out to gain muscle or lose weight …You also need to drink lots of water (at least a liter of water a day) because if you get dehydrated then your muscle soreness and muscle cramps will increase.
Heat or Cold
A warm shower or bath also triggers the muscle to relax, which can be great for tension knotted shoulders or muscles tight from overuse. For bruising or inflammation, an ice pack applied to the affected area for up to 20 minutes can reduce swelling and soreness.
Oral Magnesium
Low levels of magnesium in the body can lead to general muscle aches and muscle cramps. You may want to consider a supplement, but you can start by including foods that are high in magnesium in your diet. Some of the top food sources for magnesium are squash and pumpkin seeds (pepitas), spinach, cocoa powder, black beans, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds.
Active recovery
Active recovery basically means that you stay active even though you're still sore but you're not going to stay active by doing the same exact activity that got you sore in the first place - but instead…
You're going to stay active by doing an activity that is a LOT LESS Intense than the activity that caused your muscle soreness so for example…
· If your muscles are sore after running then you would actively recover your sore muscles by lightly walking or…
· If your did a chest workout with heavy weights you can do push-ups using only your bodyweight to actively recover your sore chest, arm & shoulder muscles but generally…
· Light walking or light cardio workouts for less than 30 minutes will help relieve sore lower body muscles while…
· Bodyweight only exercise like push-ups, bodyweight rows and yoga will help reduce upper body soreness.
Active recovery gets rid of muscle soreness & stiffness by stimulating blood flow & improving circulation to the muscles without overexerting your already sore muscles.
Rest
Sometimes the best thing you can do is not do anything at all. If you rest up for a couple of days, general muscle soreness should pass on its own. Of course, for many of us, when things get busy in the garden or on the farm, rest isn’t easy to come by, so do what works for you. Massage
Massage works the tension out of sore muscles and if you can afford it…
Invest in ART (Active Release Technique) massage therapy to quickly reduce muscle soreness but chances are you are not a pro athlete so in most cases…
Having a friend or your spouse massage your sore muscles will be enough and if you can't find a partner…
Using an electric handheld massager, a Massage Stick or Foam Roller will be good enough but whatever massage technique you use…
You can massage the muscle for up to 20 minutes to help reduce soreness after a tough workout.
Hot Pepper Rubs
Capsaicin, which produces the burn in hot peppers, has been used to relive pain from arthritis, joint and muscle pain and general muscles soreness. It is available in over the counter products, or you can make your own by mixing 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with one cup of olive or (warm) coconut oil. Some people combine it with aloe vera gel instead. Apply the rub to the affected area, and wash your hands after application. Keep the rub away from your eyes, nose and mouth – it will cause irritation. Test on a small area to make sure that it does not make you more uncomfortable instead of relieving your pain. This one is not for everyone.
Ginger
According to a study where people took ginger 8 days before a tough workout… The Ginger helped reduce muscle soreness by 25%
Cherry Juice
Scientist believe that the flavonoids & anthocyanins in Cherry Juice is what helps prevents muscle soreness and…
At least 2 British studies have shown that cherry juice speeds up recovery from intense exercising.
Preventing Sore Muscles
If you’re going to work out, you’re going to experience muscle soreness. You can however, reduce your chances of strains, pulls and tears. Here are some tips:
Gently stretch each muscle group for at least 60 seconds before and after your workouts
Begin and end every workout with an absurdly light load. If you’re about to run, start with 10 minutes of fast walking. If you’re about to lift weights, do a couple of speed sets using only the bar and going through the entire range of motion
If weight training, stretch the target muscles between sets
Finish every workout (even weight training) with 10-15 minutes of light cardio. This gets the blood and lymphatic system flowing and will help eliminate waste products built up from the workout
Get a massage
Ice the worked muscle group immediately after especially hard workouts
Sources:
fitday.com
nowloss.com
commonsensehome.com
howtogetridofstuff.com
Other links:
How to Get Rid of Plantar Fasciitis
Effective Treatment for Sciatica at Home
Ankle Sprain