IM SO SORE — I guess it’s a REST DAY - NOT !!

IM SO SORE — I guess it’s a REST DAY - NOT !! 

So I have been working out consistently for the past year and I still experience muscle soreness!  Just this last week I started back up on the 21 Day Fix. I can tell you that everything from my shoulders, my abs down to my thighs and my rear end were aching all week.   I have done everything from Les Mills pump with heavy barbells and ungodly amount of squats to Chalene Extreme with heavy weights, T25 with insane cardio but it doesn’t matter WHAT I HAVE DONE IN THE PAST !! Switching things up DOES A BODY GOOD !!  You are working different muscles in different ways. So yes I was SORE but that doesn’t mean that I can just take the day off. Instead I chose a workout that will target a different part of my body. How many of us have been sore when staring a new program? How will you handle it ?

When you work out, you are essentially tearing up your muscle fibers. When those muscles recover, you build strength. But the act of breaking down those fibers can leave your muscles tender, sore, and even difficult to move. Plus, that soreness can take as long as 24 hours to set in (this often is referred to as delayed onset muscles soreness, or DOMS), meaning you'll be in greater pain two days following a workout than you were the morning after. Here is a five-step process you can use to reduce muscle soreness and get back to exercising faster.

Step 1 Warm up before beginning your exercise program. Warming up increases the flexibility of the muscles and reduces overall muscle tension, which prevents excessive micro-trauma and can prevent soreness due to major or minor muscle strain

Step 2 Perform a brief cool-down after every workout. Stretch the muscles you exercised to improve blood flow and increase your range of motion.

Step 3 Use a foam roller for 10 minutes after your workout. Foam rolling can release "knots" and adhesions in the muscle tissue, improving circulation.

Step 4 Get 30 or more minutes of massage therapy. Massage improves blood flow to sore muscle tissues, releasing micro-adhesions and encouraging muscle repair. Therapy can be painful, but is an effective treatment if you can handle the sensation.

Step 5 Get at least eight to 10 hours of sleep. The body repairs itself at night, triggering important hormones that signal repair to muscle tissue. Sleeping fewer than eight hours decreases the hormonal response, meaning your recovery will be slower.

OLD HOME REMEDY
One old home remedy that works is an Epsom salt soak for sore muscles. The scientific name for Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate. When you soak sore muscles in Epsom salts, your body absorbs the magnesium and the sulfates through your skin. According to epsomsaltcouncil.org, research supports that an increase in your body's magnesium levels can improve circulation, ease muscle pain, flush toxins and heavy metals from cells, improve nerve function and relieve stress. Your skin also readily absorbs sulfates through an Epsom salt soak. Sulfates play a role in forming joint proteins and help detoxify your body.

Bath Soak

Step 1
Run a bath with water as warm as you can stand it. Magnesium sulfate works to works to draw inflammation out of sore muscles.

Step 2
Mix two cups of Epsom salts in with the warm bath water if your tub is a standard size. For garden tubs, mix four cups of Epsom salts in the warm water.

Step 3

Soak in the Epsom salt water for at least 12 minutes. Repeat the Epsom salt soak for at least three times weekly.