How to relieve sore muscles after workout?

Work-out and exercise demand a lot of energy and stamina which develops over time. However, in the first few weeks or even months of strenuous exercise, soaring of muscles is common problem that affects daily activities as well as makes it difficult for you to stick to your regular work-out regimen.

It is always recommended to start off slowly by 10 to 20 minutes of work-out in the first few days and progressively increase the duration so that your body gets enough time to adapt to the increasing work load and stress.

Easy and workable tips to relieve sore-muscles

The tips below can help you in relieving your sore-muscles without requiring any pain-medication.

Application of heat or warmth: Applying direct or indirect warmth to muscle or body-wall is long known as an effective remedy to relieve sore-muscles. The heat can be delivered in the form of hot water bottle, steam, sauna room or just a shower with warm water. Heat relives sore-muscles by improving blood circulation that eventually wash-off neurotransmitters and chemicals that are responsible for the feeling of pain.

Stretch after work-out session: It is recommended to start your work out from stretching muscles that greatly minimizes the risk of soaring. Moreover, once you have finished the session, stretching greatly reduces the tension in muscles and also helps in restoring blood circulation across the tense and tender muscles, greatly reducing pain.

Gentle massaging: Massaging or rubbing the sore muscles help in relieving tender knots that are produced as a result of damage to small muscle fibers. You can always treat yourself with a nice professional massage or spa treatment as a reward for your hard-work. Otherwise, you can always get the help of your partner or a friend to relieve sore-muscles.

Ice-packs:  Using ice or cold compresses are long known to reduce inflammation and pain. The mechanism is simple and can be explained on scientific grounds. Using ice-cold water for bathing is an effective tip used by athletes; however, you can also go for a moderate treatment of using ice-packs on your sore-muscles. Ice packs work by gently constricting or narrowing your blood vessels to reduce the blood supply and also numb your tissue for the time-being. However, once you remove ice-pack, the blood vessels dilate quickly to restore blood supply and thereby help in washing-off lactic acid and pain neurotransmitters.

Drink plenty of fluids: During active muscle work-out session, the pain is generally the result of accumulation of lactic acid that is sensitive to pain. You can relieve sore-muscles by drinking plenty of fluids to eliminate dehydration and by washing-off lactic acid from tissues.

If all attempts fail, just bare with the pain as it will go over. But always make sure to stick to your work-out regimen. If you skip the session for a couple of days, that is fine but stay focused