5 most effective ways to relieve sore muscles at home

What is muscle soreness? 

Muscle soreness is a side effect of the stress the muscle is subjected to during exercise.

Have you noticed the day after you exercise and later the same day, your body hurts? Your legs feel weak and shaking; when you move feels like everything hurts? That is called muscle soreness.

Is muscle soreness bad? Not really; it's part of the process.

It is most common when you:

• Start exercising for the first time or after a very long period.
• Start a new workout program.
• Increase the weight ( if you lift weights).
• Increase the number of repetitions you do. 

Most of the time doesn't last long, usually lasts for 1 or 2 days after the workout, and is a sign of improvement. 

Why does this happen? 

When you exercise a little harder or different than you usually do, you force the muscles to work harder.

These can happen to anyone, no matter their fitness level.

There is no way to prevent sore muscles but, there are ways that can help to relieve the pain and help with the recovery.

Here are my six suggestions of ways to relieve sore muscles at home.

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1.- STAY HYDRATED: This is a key to recovery. You have to stay hydrated before, during, and after your workout. 

When exercising, your body loses fluids that are essential to help it cool itself.

Water also helps muscles recover from the damage from the exercise, and it will prevent muscle cramps.

2.-Heat Therapy: Heat helps muscles relax. The heat increases the blood flow helping remove all toxins away from tired muscles. 

I like to use a specific heat therapy with black jade stones.

Some spas or physiotherapists can offer this option, but you can also use heat packs and place them on the sore area for about 15 min. 

Just be careful to use a towel or a cloth to avoid burning.

Heat packs

Black Jade Stone Heat Pack

3.- Electrotherapy: This one is my favorite because it feels like an actual massage. 

Electrotherapy means that you are using electrical energy to relieve the pain.

This therapy requires a specific machine that you can buy.

You placed the pads on the sore area, and you can choose the intensity of the pulses sent via electrodes to your skin and along the nerve fibers.

If you are interested in one, I got mine at Costco. But you can also find it at Walmart.

4.- Foam Rolling: Foam rolling has become very popular lately, and it is because of its many benefits: relieves muscles soreness and tightness, helps increase flexibility and range of motion. 

A foam roller works as a massage, and like one, helps increase the blood flow into your muscles, providing them with more nutrients and oxygen to help them recover. 

5.-Stretching: Stretching after a workout is important because it allows the body to cool down and helps the heartbeat to return to normal. 

The releases of lactic acid during your intense workout get broken with stretching. 

Allows the muscle to recover and repair and helps you gain flexibility.

6.- Active Recovery: will help reduce sore muscles. 

Active recovery means that you do a workout on your rest days, but it's a different type of exercise and is not as intense as you usually do. 

Believe it or not, keeping yourself active helps your body to recover faster.

You can do some: 

• yoga
• Mobility exercises
• Walking
• Dynamic stretches 
• Swimming 
• Jogging

I hope this post was helpful for you and can help you in your fitness journey.