Oh My Aching...Everything

Remedies for sore muscles:

-15-20 minute walk

-swimming or treading water

-bike ride

-LIGHT body weight workout/stretching

-coffee (see note below)

-epsom salt bath

-if you take supplements, glutamine powder with your favorite drink or protein shake

-make sure you get plenty of good quality protein

Have you ever woken up the day after a workout feeling like every muscle in your body is sore?  Even muscles that you didn't even know you had were sore?  I have many times, and I always find it funny when my clients act like I don't get sore at all - au contraire!

Yesterday I ran in the Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon.  I admit I probably wasn't as ready for it as I should've been, but I still finished.  In the first mile, I rolled my ankle in two potholes which did not bode well for the rest of the race.  All in all though, I finished it, and that is what is the most important.

Right now I don't feel so much soreness because I am just sitting here at my computer.  However, the worst thing to do for sore muscles is to stay in place!  Whether it be a swim, treading water, 15-20 minute walk, bike ride, or a light bodyweight workout routine, you have to keep moving!  Obviously everyone needs rest and recovery days but the activities previously mentioned are active recovery.  You are not loading heavy weight onto those muscles again, but merely getting the muscles to move.  Your muscles need help getting out all that lactic acid that is stuck in there, and getting fresh blood to those muscles will help them recover even faster.

It has also been suggested that caffeine can help the recovery of sore muscles.  If my muscles are that sore, I will usually drink a tiny bit more coffee than I usually do.  The only thing you have to watch out for though is making sure that you drink enough water that day also!  I do believe that caffeine gives you the extra energy boost to keep walking/moving regularly, but it also dehydrates you, and dehydrated muscles are never happy, so keep drinking a lot of water too!

In really bad cases, I will get epsom salt and take a hot epsom salt bath.  Usually it's about two cups of epsom salt dissolved in your bathtub.  Either way, make sure you are eating good quality protein to help your muscles repair, stay hydrated, and keep moving!  And remember - the worst thing to do for sore muscles is nothing!  Good luck everyone!