7+ Easy Ways To Get Muscle Pain Relief

Posted by Sudam Shelar on Jan 03, 2024 in Blog

As soon as you start working out, you tend to get irregular in your workouts and eventually stop exercising. Have you observed why? One of the reasons for being irregular is the pain you experience after working out. The pain is so intense that it makes even small movements difficult. Ever thought about why there is pain even without any injury?

And how does it disappear easily? This happens because the exercise you start is a new activity for your body which the body perceives as stress until it adapts to it. Let us discuss some effective ways that help your body reduce soreness with ease and aid in the fastest muscle recovery.

A] Understanding Muscle Soreness

The burning sensation in your muscles immediately after a workout is called acute muscle soreness. The body experiences this due to lactic acid formation during your workout. This pain and burning sensation eventually fades out when you stop exercising. But if muscle pain persists for a few days, that is because there are microscopic tears of the muscles leading to inflammation. This pain is known as delayed onset of muscle soreness. A regular workout will help reduce this soreness.

B] What Is The Importance Of Muscle Recovery

The muscle inflammation reduces when the body rests which initiates muscle recovery. Rest and recovery don’t mean laying on the bed, but performing mild activities that do not involve the muscles you used for your exercises like stretching or walking, swimming or jogging.

This helps the muscles to become strong and more agile. The right nutrition, massaging, and rest will strengthen the muscles, prevent any injury to the muscles and improve performance. The body needs a perfect balance of muscle-strengthening training and recovery to achieve fitness goals.

C] 8 Ways To Reduce Muscle Soreness Before And After Your Workout

1. Hydration And Nutrition

Water helps to maintain the circulation and carry necessary nutrients to the muscles. It also flushes out excess lactic acid along with the other toxins. The protein-rich, adequate carbohydrate meal provides glycogen to rejuvenate muscles, increases muscle mass, reduces inflammation and helps in recovery. Include foods like lean meat, fish, eggs, pulses and dal along with fluids like water, green tea, infused water, buttermilk, soups and juices.

2. Adequate Rest And Sleep

Sleep helps in reducing inflammation and build muscle, clears chemical toxins, repairs the muscles, and reduces pain sensitivity. During sleep, the mind and body need to be full at rest. Active brain during sleep does not promote repair.

For 6 to 8 hours of sound sleep avoid screens before sleeping, consume dinner 2 hours before sleep, engage in regular exercises, hydrate yourself, eat balanced meals, and perform mindful meditation before sleep.

3. Incorporating Active Recovery

Active recovery means indulging in a light workout or exercise that counters the soreness caused by the heavy workout. End the workout with slow stretching that helps with increased blood supply to the muscles, exchange necessary nutrients and remove toxins.

Stretching improves the muscle flexibility and strengthens the muscles. You can perform cool-down exercises, yoga, stretching exercises, walking or swimming.

4. Using Heat And Cold Therapy

A heating pad helps to increase the blood flow in the muscles by dilating the arteries and veins. The ice pack helps to reduce inflammation, relaxes the muscles and fastens the recovery. Use a heating pad if the injury or soreness is chronic or long-standing.

Active soreness needs an ice pack to treat it. Use an ice pack for up to an hour of workout which will help reduce circulation, and prevent swelling and soreness.

5. Stretching and Foam Rolling

Start your workout with stretching, which activates the muscles and increases blood flow to the muscles. This prevents any muscle injury during the workout and also reduces soreness. The use of a foam roller relieves muscle stiffness, improves blood circulation and improves the muscle’s range of motion.

Using a foam roller post-workout reduces muscle pain and improves workout performance. You can use a soft roller board or massage balls for bigger and softer muscles like hamstrings, glutes and back and not on joints or bones.

6. Apply Essential Oils

Essential oils like lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus have a soothing property that relaxes the muscles, releases muscle tension, and has a muscle pain relief sensation. Ensure to use a high-quality essential oil that doesn’t harm your skin.

These essential oils are in concentrated forms, thus, mix 2 to 3 drops in a carrier oil like coconut or almond oil before use. Gently massage this oil mixture on the sore spot before workouts, which helps in reducing inflammation and pain.

7.  After An Intense Workout Eat Within Half An Hour

The muscles are made of proteins and glycogen stores used for fuel in workout comes from the carbohydrates we eat. The body and the muscles need recovery food to rebuild strength. Consuming a small meal or snack 30 minutes post-workout kickstarts the recovery process reduces soreness and promotes muscle building.

An ideal proportion of protein to carbohydrate is important for the storage of glycogen and replenish energy until the next workout. You can consume snacks like a protein shake with banana, Greek yoghurt with berries, whole-grain toast with avocado and turkey, or a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice.

8. Integrate Anti-Inflammatory Foods Into Your Daily Meals

Including antioxidant-rich foods in your daily diet is said to reduce inflammation in the body, remove toxins, help in muscle repair and reduce pain sensation. Include a variety of fruits like berries (blueberries, strawberries), vegetables like spinach and kale, fatty fish such as salmon or mackerel, nuts (like almonds or walnuts), and spices like turmeric and ginger. To gain maximum benefit from anti-inflammatory foods it is necessary to consume such foods consistently throughout the week.

Conclusion

Make your workouts a pleasant experience by taking care of certain aspects that will help improve blood flow, reduce swelling and inflammation, alleviate pain, and promote muscle recovery. Hydration, good nutrition, use of essential oils, foam rollers, adequate sleep, and use of heating pad and ice packs will strengthen your muscles and reduce soreness. Work out with one of the best personal fitness trainers in Mumbai for the right guidance in achieving your fitness goal.