Working out can put major stress on your body, especially if you have been on a long hiatus from doing any major physical activity. After your workout, you believe that your muscles feel fine and you end up going through the day. Then when you wake up, it’s hard to lift your legs or change your clothes because your arms hurt. You now feel sore! Maybe it was just a hard workout, or maybe it was you not doing anything post-workout to help you recover. One of the best and most commonly known things to do post-workout is to stretch. It allows your muscles to stay loose and get stiff. However, here are some other tips that you should take into account to help save you from not wanting to leave your bed because you can’t move.
1. Active Recovery
After the workout that pushed you to your limits and really made you work for it, add active low impact activities to the end of your workout. Think of it as a cooldown that keeps your body still moving but not in a stressful manner. After your workout, you don’t want to be immediately stiff, you want to ease into getting your body back to a normal state. Adding a walk on the treadmill or going on the bike is an easy way to keep moving and help improve circulation throughout the body. By doing this, your body will release the built-up lactic acids that were stored from the tough workout that you just completed.
2. Refuel/Rehydrate
When you are working out, you are exerting a lot of stored energy that been built up from your food intake. Additionally, you will probably sweat out a lot of fluid and be dehydrated after each workout. Your body needs to be refueled to help your muscles recover and be able to get through the day. Eating a well-balanced post-workout meal or snack that involves protein and carbs will help your muscles get the right nutrients for recovery. For getting your body fluids, water is always a good option; however, coconut water is a good source of potassium, which will help better maintain the fluids in the body throughout the day.
3. Massage
A massage is always great to get, but even more so when you after a workout or when you get sore. Massaging your muscles is a great way to help increase blood flow to all the parts of your body and loosen up any muscles. You want your body to feel loose and not all tight up. After workouts, you want to keep moving your muscles to allow recover faster. If getting a massage doesn’t isn’t your cup of tea, a popular alternative is getting a Theragun which allows you to massage your muscles with different speeds of vibration. Furthermore, getting a foam roller can also help to keep your muscles from tightening up.
