Health organizations such as the CDC and the American Heart Association recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity per week for optimal health.
And while making time for exercise is absolutely a positive, it can have some unpleasant side effects, especially when you’re first starting out.
One of the most common among them is sore and tight muscles.
But you don’t have to wait weeks or months for your body to acclimate to the new activity.
If you know how to relieve tight muscles, you can make post-workout discomfort a thing of the past!
To help you do just that, we’ve put together a guide telling you everything you need to know to ease tightness and pain through healthy habits and body relaxation methods.
Read on!
Stay Hydrated
One of the best things you can do to relieve muscle discomfort or even avoid it entirely is to drink plenty of water.
You should be drinking two to three liters of water a day, but even more with strenuous exercise, as you lose a lot of water in sweat.
Water nourishes your body and flushes out toxins and waste products released by your muscles as they break down during exercise.
These waste products are a major cause of muscle discomfort, so drink up!
Stretch It Out
Stretching after a workout is an excellent tool to achieve relaxed muscles, but you need to keep it light if you’re already tight or sore.
The key is to get a deep enough stretch that you can feel it, but not so deep that it becomes painful.
Though stretching does nothing to heal the tears in your muscles that exercise causes, it increases your range of motion, making you feel more comfortable.
During your post-workout stretching, hold each stretch for no longer than 10-15 seconds to prevent further tightness or pain.
Keep Moving
When you’re sore or tight from a workout, your instinct might be to sit or lie still until the pain goes away. This is actually the last thing you want to do!
It may feel counterintuitive, but your body was designed to move. Sitting still is one of the worst things you can do for pain or discomfort from tightness.
Now, this doesn’t mean going for a 5-mile run.
The goal isn’t to push yourself further but to increase blood flow to your muscles just enough to promote healing.
Stick with gentle activities like going for a walk around your neighborhood or completing a light session on a stationary bike.
Check Your Diet
If you aren’t fueling your body with the nutrients it needs for muscle recovery, you’ll find that it takes much longer for pain and stiffness to subside.
First, ensure that you’re getting enough protein in your diet – aim for 1 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
You should also increase your antioxidant intake. This means eating plenty of berries and leafy greens.
A handful of blueberries and a serving of chicken or salmon with mushrooms can do wonders for your muscles post-workout.
For a quick pre or post-workout snack, drink a cup of tart cherry juice.
Cherries are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can decrease muscle discomfort.
Just be sure that you’re buying quality cherry juice and not a jug full of sugar.
If you’re worried that your diet isn’t quite cutting it, supplements such as multivitamins and Bali kratom can be a huge help.
Use Hot and Cold Compresses
You’ve probably heard this one before but it really does work.
Alternating cold and heat after a workout can make all the difference with sore and stiff muscles.
This is because heat is a vasodilator, it opens your blood vessels and increases blood flow to the affected area, promoting healing.
A cold compress has the opposite effect, and the decrease in blood flow reduces inflammation.
If you’re using ice, apply it for no longer than 20 minutes to avoid injury.
Ice your muscles for 20 minutes, then use a heating pad for 20 minutes to prevent elastic tissue damage.
Use a Foam Roller
We won’t sugar coat it. If you’re suffering from sore or tight muscles, a foam roller is probably going to hurt.
But if you want to know how to relax muscles, a foam roller is your answer.
Using a foam roller decreases swelling of the muscles and enhances tissue healing.
Using a high-density foam roller, massage your muscles for about 20 minutes as soon as you’re finished with your workout and again 24 hours later.
Sleep It Off
When it comes to healing, rejuvenation, and muscle recovery, nothing is more effective than a good night’s sleep.
You should be getting between 7 and 9 hours of high-quality sleep per night to feel your best.
Lack of sleep is linked to higher levels of inflammation, which will only worsen your muscle tightness and soreness.
So after a tough workout, treat yourself to a hot bath and go to bed early!
Learn How to Relieve Tight Muscles to Make Your Workouts More Enjoyable
Regular physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, but if you experience sore or tight muscles every time you exercise, it’s easy to feel discouraged.
By knowing how to relieve tight muscles, you can get past this uncomfortable part of your workouts and simply enjoy them!
Just remember, if these methods don’t work for you or you find that your muscle tightness lasts for several days, you need to set an appointment with your doctor.
It could be a sign of a major muscle injury.
For more health and fitness tips and advice, keep reading our blog.