When you exercise, there is a big chance that your muscles will become sore. This is especially true for people who have just started exercising and who are not accustomed to doing physical activities. Muscle soreness can bring too much discomfort and pain. However, it is not entirely dangerous to your health. Sometimes, all you have to do is to take some days off and let your muscles recover from the soreness completely.
The duration of rest your muscles need to recover from the soreness will depend on the type of soreness you are experiencing. The first type is known as the acute muscle soreness. For this type, you only have to rest the muscles for several hours after workout. The discomfort will only last for several hours after training. In fact, you can start training again the next day if you are ready. The second type is known as the delayed onset muscle soreness. This is more common than the first type. From the name itself, it means that the soreness is delayed. You will most probably feel it 1-3 days after your workout. Since it is delayed, it lasts longer. Therefore, you will have to rest your sore muscles longer. If you cannot do intense exercises, you can do mild ones such as walking or cycling to continue your physical activities.
There are several ways on how you can relieve muscle soreness. The first one is to rest. As mentioned earlier, the amount of rest your muscles need depend on the type of soreness that you have. If you feel that your muscles have already recovered and you can move them without feeling any discomfort, then you are good to go. The second step is active recovery. By resting, it does not mean that you will stop all your physical activities. Doing so will just make your muscles weaker. You should still continue your physical activities but you need to keep them at the minimum. Walk instead of running. Swim instead of jogging. Activities will keep your blood circulation good and will help the muscles recover faster. The third step is to rehydrate your body. When your drink water, the toxins in your body are being flushed out. These toxins are a hindrance to muscle recovery therefore it is just good that they are removed from your bloodstream. The fourth step is to keep your body healthy. Eat nutritious food all the time. Your muscles need all the nutrients it can get to recover faster. Your muscles specifically need potassium and protein to heal faster.
Muscle soreness is normal however it can bring too much discomfort in your life. Follow the tips given above to prevent the condition and help your muscles recover faster.
