10 Home Remedies for Sore Muscles – Post-Workout Soreness Recovery

Learn about the 10 easy and affordable home remedies for sore muscles to help you relieve soreness and get back to your workout program!

Staying in shape is not only highly important for your physical health, but it keeps your mind in tip-top condition in order to navigate your way through everyday stressful situations. However, there’s probably nothing more painful than the first week back at the gym. Depending on how hard you went at it on the first day, you end up not being able to sleep well due to the discomfort and pain, your muscles feel swollen and inflamed, and you become downright miserable to be around.

This is the time when you need to get your butt back in the gym in order to loosen those muscles up and work the lactic acid out of your system. It hurts, and it’s going to hurt for a while after, but if you’re able to introduce the below-mentioned post-workout remedies into your workout routine, you may find yourself loving the feeling of workout pain.

Here’s how to relieve sore muscles after a workout:

1. Take an ice bath.

According to Samantha Clayton, ACE- and AFAA-certified personal trainer, Olympic sprinter, and women’s sprints coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, “Almost every college and pro sports team locker room has an ice bath, and athletes are strongly encouraged to jump in after a tough workout for a 10- minute soak.” It may not be the most comfortable post-workout remedy, especially during cold, winter months, but you’ll be happy you did it at the end of the day.

2. Eat a little bit of pineapple.

Reach for a pineapple the next time you’re feeling pain and inflammation – containing Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapples. Much healthier than anti-inflammatory drugs, pineapple is tasty and will hydrate you after a rigorous workout – giving you the option to enjoy a delicious snack whilst working on your muscle inflammation at the same time.

3. Heat it up.

After jumping in an ice bath or a freezing shower after your workout, it’s important to apply heat to your muscles later in the day. “Muscle tightness is a cause of increased pain for many people, and stimulating the blood flow and loosening up sore muscles with heat can help speed up the healing process,” Clayton advises.

4. Get plenty of rest.

Rest is the only post-workout remedy that will allow you to have enough energy to return to the gym, as well as allow your muscles to rest and recuperate. According to Jill Miller, eRYT, “The ideal scenario is to have a consistent bedtime and wake time to maintain balanced body rhythm.” Sleep of eight hours or more will allow more oxygen to reach your muscles – allowing them to heal faster.

5. Opt for massage therapy.

Increase the blood flow to your muscles and alleviate inflammation by opting for massage therapy in Glen Waverley – removing the inflammatory chemicals responsible for your pain. Perfect for relieving stiffness, aches, and pains, or stress and tension levels, massage therapy works wonders for improving your sleep patterns, helping you out after a rigorous gym session, as well as lowering blood pressure and boosting serotonin and dopamine – all promoting the health and wellbeing of your body and mind.

6. Hydrate!

During a rigorous workout, you can’t seem to get enough of water, however, after the fact, it’s normal to let it slip your mind. According to Miller, “It’s a health necessity to keep your fluid intake high to avoid illness and issues with blood clotting, saliva and sweat production, and even sperm count.” Although everyone’s different, it’s advisable to consume 13 glasses of water for men and 9 glasses of water for women. Alternatively, you can also consume tart cherry juice which contains powerful enzymes called anthocyanins – known to reduce pain and inflammation.

7. Go back for more.

Yes, it hurts now and it’s going to hurt a little bit in the beginning of your workout, but it’s important to get hurting muscles back in the game in order to get rid of inflammation and lactic acid. At the end of the workout, you’ll feel less pain, become more flexible, and feel much better about yourself – knowing that you didn’t give up even when you wanted to.

8. Have your cup of coffee.

According to Ann Kulze, M.D., author of the best-selling Eat Right for Life series, “Assuming no medical contraindications to the use of caffeine, I recommend two cups of coffee prior to workout.” Coffee has been shown to reduce soreness and fatigue by nearly half – giving you the opportunity to get your morning cup of coffee in and receive an excellent workout without the need to go back to bed. Remember, if you are trying to lose weight, keep it black. The added sugar and milk won’t do you any good.

9. Rub a little bit of arnica on it.

When you’re hurting, you’re going to want to try everything to relieve the pain, which is where a little bit of arnica comes in handy. According to Thomas Kouo, Licensed Acupuncturist, and professor at Pacific College, “The plant can be applied to the skin in a gel or cream form and can help with swelling and soreness.” Apply after your shower and feel your muscle inflammation disappear with a simply gel application.

10. Snack on tart cherries.

Apart from drinking tart cherry juice, you can also snack on tart cherries – containing anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, if you’re not a big fan of drinking tart cherry juice but can do with a few snacks, why not add tart cherries to the list? It’s natural, completely healthy, and reduces your workout pain without having to consume anything you completely hate. You simply can’t get a better muscle soreness treatment than a delicious snack.

Figuring out how to get back in the gym faster in order to reach your goal without a hitch consists of finding the right balance between post-workout remedies and perseverance. Unfortunately, it’s going to hurt, but that’s how you know that you’re actually reaching your goal slowly. Don’t worry, the first week is the worst, but it gets better. The more you exercise, the easier it gets to bounce back, the stronger you become; physically and mentally.

Remember, quitters never win and winners never quit!

Sources:

• https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/quick-fixes-for-sore-muscles.aspx
• http://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/relieve-pain-post-workout/
• http://www.mensfitness.com/training/5-cures-for-sore-muscles-that-really-work/slideshow