Don’t let muscle soreness hold you back this spring—follow these tips instead
As the leaves start to bloom this spring and the weather gets nicer, we all come out of our winter hibernation. As the weather warms up, we naturally start to get more active.
Now, if you’ve spent the past winter cozied up inside, the spring may bring about some muscle soreness as you start to get a bit more active. You may start back into your hobbies like hiking, biking, or swimming. You may even be helping your kids condition for spring sports. Maybe you just want to keep up with your kids running around.
No matter what type of activity you start up, your body will have to do a bit of adjustment. You don’t want your muscle soreness to keep you down, so let’s talk about some ways you can recover from muscle soreness and stay active this spring.
1. Warm Up and Cool Down
Take a few minutes to warm up your muscles before your activity
Warming up before you start your activity and cooling down after are both steps that are often overlooked. However, taking about five minutes or so for each can go a long way when it comes to muscle soreness.
Warming up before doing any type of exercise—no matter how big or small—helps you increase your blood flow and the temperature of your muscles. This way, whenever you start your exercise, your body is less stiff and you have a better range of motion.
How you warm up and what you do to warm up totally depends on what activity you’re doing. If you’re going for a run, you may want to start by stretching and going for a short walk. If you’re doing a HIIT workout at home, you may want to take the first 5 minutes of your workout time to do some stretching. In general, it’s a good idea to spend between 5-10 minutes warming up before you do anything.
Just like the warm-up, the cool-down shouldn’t be skipped over either! Your warm-up and your cool-down go hand-in-hand. Basically, you want to repeat exactly what you did in your warm-up. So, if you took the first 5 minutes of your workout to stretch, make sure you devote the last 5 minutes of your workout to stretching again! All in all, your body will thank you for taking the extra time to warm up and cool down.
2. Stay Hydrated
Make sure to replace the fluids lost during your activity
Staying hydrated is important for your health in general, but it’s especially important after doing any type of physical activity where you’re sweating. The idea here is that you want to replace any of the fluids you’ve lost, otherwise, you may feel a bit more tired and sore.
Hydration is crucial both during and after a workout. Drinking while you’re doing your activity can help you prevent your body from overheating and ultimately boost your performance and function while working out. During your workout, if you feel like you need to take a drink, take a drink!
After your workout, you should aim to replace 1.5 times the fluids you lost during your workout. You may need to drink more fluids if you sweat a lot, if it’s hot or humid where you’re doing your activity, or even if you have certain health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.
You don’t have to necessarily chug water after you’ve finished working out. It’s best to spread that intake of water over 2-6 hours. Water is your best option, but some electrolyte-filled drinks can be a good option as well in moderation.
3. Eat Well
Fuel your body with protein and carbs to prevent muscle soreness and feel stronger
Eating well is the perfect recipe to help your body recover from any type of movement. Protein helps repair muscles, and carbs give you the energy you need to keep going! Plus, healthy fats are great for your joints.
If you work out in the morning, give yourself enough time to finish eating at least 1 hour before your workout. Skipping breakfast altogether may make you feel weak and lightheaded during your workout. Because you, of course, want to feel strong try eating:
- Whole-grain cereals,
- Yogurt,
- Or fruits.
Many people eat small snacks right before or during exercise, too. This is especially helpful if you’re working out in between meals or at an awkward time when you can’t eat about an hour before. Try for snacks like:
- Energy bars,
- Fruit smoothies,
- Or fruits.
After exercising, you should plan to eat a meal with carbs and protein within 2 hours after you finish. If that’s not possible, try to snack until you have the time to eat a full meal. Some high-protein foods you may want to try can be as simple as a peanut butter or turkey sandwich or yogurt and fruit. As you refuel your body, you will feel less sore and much stronger.
4. Find a Pain Relief Cream
Keep a pain relieving cream on hand to help target muscle soreness at the source
Topical pain relief cream is like a secret weapon against body soreness. Over-the-counter pain relievers, like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, disperse through your bloodstream. So, these will address pain all over your body. This is a good solution for soreness, but sometimes you need a little bit more relief in a specific area. That’s where pain-relieving creams come into play.
Topical pain relievers can be used to get relief right on the spot of your pain. You can also use a topical cream before your activity to prepare your muscles for your workout, too, to help with the soreness after.
As you apply the cream, the ingredients are absorbed right into the skin so you get relief exactly where you need it. These creams act as an anti-inflammatory, which can help your sore muscles recover from strain, by providing cooling, numbing, and tingling sensations.
It’s always best to look for a topical pain reliever with natural ingredients. You may look for ingredients such as:
- Camphor – anti-inflammatory pain reliever.
- Menthol – anti-inflammatory pain reliever.
- Arnica Montana – Natural swelling reducer.
No matter how active you are, a pain relief cream is one of the best products you can keep around the house to help with sore muscles.
5. Massage and Roll-Out Soreness
You don’t have to get a massage done by a professional to relieve your muscle soreness—try self-massaging instead!
Massaging your body is one of the best ways you can relieve your muscle soreness after working out. A massage can help increase the blood circulation in your body, reduce inflammation, and loosen your muscles for an easier time recovering.
When you massage your body, oxygen hits your muscles and washes out the toxins in your body from working out. This makes for a much easier time recovering from added strain to your body, plus it’s so relaxing!
There are lots of ways to massage your body after some strain, even if it’s not done by a professional. Here are some methods you may want to try:
- Self-massage – Lotion up and try some compression and squeezing techniques followed by stretching.
- Massage guns – Because massage guns are so powerful, you may want to hold off massaging your body until at least an hour after your workout. Start on the lowest setting to target movement around your soreness and increase as needed.
- Foam rollers – Foam rollers are an inexpensive and easy way to roll out some of your soreness. Position the foam roller where you’re feeling sore, balance on top of the roller, apply pressure, and slowly roll back and forth for a couple of minutes.
After your massage, make sure to drink plenty of water to help wash those toxins out of your system.
Now that spring has sprung, the last thing you want to do is let muscle soreness get in the way of all the things you want to do this season. Luckily, with a few additional measures, you can work towards alleviating your muscle soreness and get back to doing what you love.
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