Read on to find out a few of the best tips for dealing with muscle pain and tightness.
Muscle soreness and pain is a constant problem for countless people. Whether you work out every day, or spend a lot of time on your feet, finding a way to deal with the pain can be life-changing. Here are a few of the best tips to not only lessen, but even eliminate muscle soreness.
Fix Your Sleeping Position
The first thing you need to do is to analyze your sleeping positions and see how that could be affecting your muscle recovery. While different bed sizes, pillows, etc, will have an impact, it is still important to make an effort to change it.
For example, sleeping on your stomach can not only worsen, but also cause back, shoulder, and hip pain. Instead, fall asleep in a more neutral position, lying on your back, and teach your body how to sleep better.
Warm Up
Next, if your muscle pain is from working out or spending a lot of time on your feet, spend a few minutes every day warming up. This will wake your muscles up, drive some blood to them, and get them ready for what you are going to do.
There are many different ways to warm up, but stretching, a light walk or jog, or something similar will all do the job.
Cool Down
On the other hand, it is also important to cool down. There is a reason why professional football players, for example, stay after a game and run a few lengths of the field. This small amount of physical activity helps to stop your muscles from seizing up and causing pain.
Active Recovery
Active recovery is the process of helping your muscles recover by doing physical activities. While warming up and cooling down is part of this, it also includes doing intra-workout recovery, such as walking and moving your muscles between sets at the gym.
On your rest days, active recovery could include going for a walk, doing stretches, doing yoga, or something similar that keeps your muscles moving.
Heat & Cold Therapy
Heat therapy has been shown to increase circulation and therefore help with muscle recovery. Heat therapy is also fairly easy to do, as you can apply a heat pack or hot water bottle to the sore area.
On the other hand, cold therapy has been shown to slow down circulation and reduce swelling, and can be done with an ice pack, a bag of frozen peas, or, if possible, a quick dunk in an ice bath.
Foam Rolling
Foam rolling is an underrated form of recovery, and studies have shown that it not only improves performance, but also improves muscle flexibility, which in turn can help promote and speed up muscle recovery.
Massage Therapy
Massage, especially when done on a regular basis, is easily one of the best ways to deal with muscle soreness. Not only does receiving a massage from a professional help you relieve pain and tightness, but many studies have shown that massage can be the best muscle recovery method.
If you can’t visit a massage therapist regularly, investing in something like a Theragun can help you perform a self-massage and target muscles that are tight or sore.
Muscle Foods
Another part of preventing muscle soreness and improving recovery is your diet. Working out, especially weight training, tears apart the muscle fibers, which is what leads to muscle growth and development.
However, to maximize their recovery, you need protein in your diet. Eating a high amount of protein a day will give your body and muscles the fuel they need to not only grow, but to recover quicker.
Stay Hydrated
One of the most important parts of working out, whether it be in sport or in the gym, is hydration. Proper hydration has shown to drastically improve muscle performance and recovery.
Hydration also doesn’t stop at just drinking enough liquid while you work out. You should be drinking at least 3L of water a day, and this can, and should increase, when it is warmer and when you are performing physical activity.
Rest
Another brilliant way to help your muscles heal and recover is to do almost nothing at all. Simply resting can give your muscles and body the time it needs to fully heal and relieve tightness. If you haven’t exercised for a while and you are stiff the next day, more often than not, you will find that just not working out again until a day or two later is everything you need to do.
However, if doing nothing is not for you, you can do active recovery like what has been mentioned above, and go for a walk, light jog, or yoga.
Listen to Your Body
Another simple muscle recovery tip is to just listen to your body. If your legs are sore, focus on your upper body in the gym; if lifting weights is too much, try bodyweight exercises. If you are paying attention, you will know what your body should and shouldn’t be doing.
Don’t fall into the trap of “pushing through the pain,” as you can easily turn a simple muscle strain into a long-term problem that requires far more care than just stretching or getting a massage or two.
