What Really Helps To Combat Aching Muscles
There’s hardly any sporting activity which doesn’t result in aching muscles. Whether you jog occasionally or you’re a fitness enthusiast, everyone has had aching muscles.
After an intensive fitness training session – or on the second day after – even your habitual daily routes can be difficult, and you’re plagued with painful, tired muscles.
But don’t let this take the wind out of your sails, because we’ve put together eight tips for you, which will actually help to combat aching muscles. This means, you’ll be able to enjoy your next visit to the gym refreshed and full of energy – without worrying about aching muscles.
Before Your Workout:
Get Plenty of Sleep
Not sleeping well before your workout will hinder your performance capacity. A lot of studies have shown that lack of sleep, has a very negative effect on your performance and regenerative capacity. For this reason, you should try to get eight hours of truly, restful sleep before you do an intensive workout.
Caffeine Boost
Your daily, morning coffee may well affect you more than you thought. Studies have shown that beverages containing caffeine not only wake you up, they can also help to combat aching muscles and boost your stamina. This is because coffee and tea trigger a secretion of insulin, which makes your body ready for action and improves your performance capacity. The regeneration period is also effectively shortened.
The Right Diet
Don‘t start your workout on an empty stomach. A good rule of thumb is: Select a meal which is low in fat but high in carbohydrates – a little protein is also not a bad thing.
Always Do a Warm-Up First
You should always prepare your body well with a warm-up before your fitness training session. This can almost eliminate the risk of getting aching muscles before it actually happens. Allow enough time for this, to get your blood circulation up and running, and to raise your muscle temperature. This helps your muscles to react more quickly and reduces the risk of small tears, which are in fact what causes aching muscles. Up the tempo of your warm-up gradually with stretching exercises – but don’t overdo it.
After Your Workout:
Cherries as a Healthy Treat
This delicious super food, is a perfect way to round off your fitness training session. The acidic juice of the cherry is said to have healing properties, and its antioxidant components are anti-inflammatory and thus, help to combat aching muscles. Fresh cherries are especially good for making smoothies.
Ice, Ice, Baby
Ice can really work wonders – its cooling effect speeds up the healing of muscles and helps prevent further damage. Ice wraps can thus help to combat aching muscles – even though it might not feel that relaxing.
Deep Tissue Massage
A deep tissue massage is all you need to boost the blood circulation, and thus improve supply to overworked and damaged muscles. This special kind of massage goes deeper, ensuring that the chemical focus of inflammation that causes aching muscles is removed. Apart from that, it’s really relaxing after an intensive workout: a clear win-win situation.
Plenty of Protein
A carefully chosen diet can also help to combat aching muscles. What really helps against aching muscles is protein-rich food. On the day of your training session, you should eat plenty of protein at various times – whether it’s in the form of steaks, tuna fish, Greek yogurt, lentils or quinoa – be creative in your protein cuisine. Protein plays an important part in muscle regeneration, which is actually what stops aching muscles. Tissue has to be regenerated and the blood circulation has to be boosted.