Sore muscles are the worst, right? You give it your all at practice or during a workout, and your payment is muscle fatigue and soreness. However, your sore muscles are also a badge of honor. You worked hard for them! Unfortunately, you can’t avoid sore muscles. It’s part of getting stronger and healthier. There are some things you can do to help lessen the amount of soreness.
Studies show that warming up your muscles before exercise may be better than stretching them. It wakes up your muscles by increasing blood flow to them. To warm up, do light versions of certain exercises. These include slow jogging or biking, jumping rope, or lifting light weights.
Water helps control your body temperature, loosen your joints, and transport nutrients to create energy. Without water, your body will struggle to perform at its highest level. You may have muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, or more serious symptoms.
Wait about 48 hours before working the same muscle groups. For example, running uses the muscles in your lower body. Give those muscles 2 days to rest to heal before you exercise them again. If you don’t rest, you can cause muscle fatigue or damage, rather than muscle growth and strength.
Doing exercises the right way helps protect you from muscle strain or injury. If you belong to a gym or health club, ask a trainer or instructor for help. They can show you the proper way to lift weights and use the machines and equipment.
It’s important to stretch after you work out. Your muscles are relaxed and more flexible when they are warm. Stretching also circulates blood away from your muscles and back to your heart to aid in recovery.
You may be tempted to push yourself, but remember to progress slowly with exercise. Over time, you can increase the amount of weight you lift or the length of time you run. If you try to increase too soon, you may injure yourself.
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