Why do muscles ache after exercise?
A day or two after exercising you may experience soreness in your muscles; this is quite common and is a good sign as it means that the muscles have been given a good workout. This is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS for short, you may experience a tight feeling, feelings stiffness, soreness, or discomfort that can last for a few days.
When we train our muscles, tiny tears begin to form, and it’s these tears that cause the pain of aching, tired muscles. The body then works to repair this damage and in doing so layers more lean fibres in the muscles, leading to stronger, bigger muscles and an overall increase in lean muscle mass.
DOMS is less common after a Pilates class, but it can still be present especially if you are new to exercise, and it can be a hard thing to work though.
How to minimise muscle soreness.
Stretch
Training causes the muscles, particularly in our limbs and abs, to contract and become tight, leading to stiffness and aches. So, by making the time to add stretching exercises into your routine will help to elongate your muscles again, soothing them back to how they should be.
Eat enough Protein
When our muscles begin to repair themselves, they use protein to do so, or more specifically, the building blocks of protein, called amino acids. Protein rich foods are made up of different combinations of amino acids so it’s a good idea to eat a wide range of protein rich foods, and it is important to eat a good balance of protein throughout the day. Including, lean chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, chickpeas, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and tofu.
Have a bath
You may have heard this one before, but Epsom salts are a great way to help deal with the dreaded DOMS. Run yourself a warm bath and add a cup of Epsom salts to the water.
When dissolved in water, the Epsom salts will break down into magnesium sulphate, helping to promote blood flow, reduce inflammation and reduce muscle soreness.
Use supplements
Turmeric is a spice used in Indian and Asian cooking and contains an active substance called curcumin that is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. This helps to reduce the levels of inflammation that can build up in the body, including after exercise.
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