Did your last visit to the gym leave you completely exhausted? Have you been avoiding going back to escape that level of tiredness? Muscle soreness and stiffness is a common occurrence after vigorous exercising, but don’t let that stop you from working out!

Here are a few things you can do to relieve the pain and stiffness in your muscles after exercising.

Eating Tart Cherries

Confused? Don’t be! According to one research, tart cherry juice aids muscle recovery and strengthening. What’s more is the fact that it lowers the muscle pain experienced by individuals post-workout.

Tart cherries contain antioxidant compounds that reduce muscle inflammation. While an otherwise nutritious diet helps your body receive the antioxidants in need, incorporating tart cherries give you an extra boost. After a rigorous training session, eat a couple of tart cherries or red raspberries to keep your muscles from giving up.

Apply Ice

If your muscles are inflamed or swollen after a workout, consider using an ice pack. This is most effective when done within the 24 hours following the exercise session. Applying an ice pack canalso aid in  reducing muscle soreness.

If your joint area feels warm or tender, then take a thin towel and wrap it around an ice pack. Then keep it at the affected site for approximately 15 minutes. Continue after short intervals for maximum effectiveness.

Alternately, you can use a heat pack for reducing muscle soreness if there isn’t any swelling. This will  promote local blood circulaton, providing  the worked-out muscles with optimal oxygen.

Do Light Exercises

Don’t completely quit exercising if your muscles feel sore after a workout session. The trick is to continue doing it in moderation. In fact, the reason you’re experiencing soreness in the first place is because of the lactic acid build-up in your muscles.  Continuing light physical activity, such as walking and stretching, will help flush out the lactic acid in your body

Get a Massage

Studies have shown that getting a massage after strenuous exercise can reduce the onset of muscle soreness that usually follows. Not just that but massages also help alleviate the pain and reduce the stiffness felt throughout the body. If gotten regularly, you’re likely to experience reduced post-workout muscle soreness overtime.

Massages also promote muscle fibre regeneration after exercise. The massaged muscles are much more relaxed and contain a higher amount of blood vessels than the massage-free muscles.

Sports & Exercise Medicine Institute clinics offer sports massage therapy for a quicker recovery from muscle soreness. Located in St. Claire, Thornhill, Sheppard, and greater Toronto, we offer a myriad of sports medicine services. These include active release techniques, concussion programs,acupuncture,and sports podiatry among others.

Call at 1-844-223-7364 to get in touch with our team and learn more about our services!