#HealthBytes: Tips for treating your post-workout muscle pain and soreness
When you start working out or increase the intensity, frequency, or length of your daily workout, you may feel immense pain in your muscles. Although this soreness may make you question your decision to start this regime, it actually indicates that your muscles are getting stronger for the next level of fitness. If you still wish to get some relief, here are some tips.
Simple muscle stretches before and after workout can help
After you finish your daily workout session, stretch your muscles for about 10 minutes. This is important for reducing the soreness in your muscles. Even before you start exercising, warm up your body with arm swings, marching on the spot, and other simple movements. Also, remember that you should gradually pick up the pace. Don't go into beast mode right at the beginning.
Heat and cold therapy can provide an instant relief
For temporary yet quick relief, you can go for heat therapy, cold therapy, or a combination of both. Put a cold compress or ice pack on the affected areas. This can reduce the swelling that sometimes comes along with extreme soreness. For heat therapy, you can take a warm bath or use a hot water bag. This will minimize the tension in your muscles.
Eating antioxidant-rich foods reduces inflammation, treats muscle pain
Some studies have observed that eating antioxidant-rich foods that reduce inflammation may treat muscle pain as well. For example, watermelon contains L-citrulline, an amino acid that has shown the potential in reducing muscle soreness. Other such anti-inflammatory foods are cherry juice, pineapple, and ginger. Additionally, some researchers also suggest that milk protein supplementation via protein shakes can help with muscle soreness.
Get a massage from a qualified sports massage therapist
Massages are incredible as these increase blood flow to injured areas, which promotes healing and relieves the pain. Just ensure that a qualified sports massage therapist or physiotherapist is carrying out the procedure. Otherwise, do a foam roll after a workout. Place a roller on the floor underneath the sore muscle and slowly roll your body over it. This is kind of a self-massage.
Laughter is one of the best medicines in this scenario
Although this sounds a little absurd, laughing can actually help you out in this situation. Laughing prompts your body to release endorphins, which are correlated with higher pain thresholds. For a simpler non-scientific reason, this will help you forget the pain for a while. And, for this, you don't need to join a laughter club. Just watch funny clips on YouTube. It's free!
