What to do if you finally decide to go to the gym and overdo your work out? First of all, be aware that muscle pain is not just a temporary discomfort and may have unpleasant consequences. So lets talk about the means to reduce muscle pain and preventive measures to be taken so this would not happen again.
1. In order to reduce muscle pain and speed up the recovery process you must drink lots of water. Dehydration slows muscle recovery processes and you may have inflammatory reactions. To avoid muscle pain you should drink a small glass of water every 15 minutes on your workout.
2. Nutrition also plays an important role. If you want faster muscle regeneration, you have to provide your body with carbohydrates, fats and proteins , so it is important to have a good diet. Even if you are trying to lose weight, you should eat something in two hours after your workout. Your body should get up to 200 grams of carbohydrates in order to restore glycogen in the blood .
3. The pain is often caused by lactic acid that is produced in muscles. The best way to distribute lactic acid evenly is with massage.
4. Ice compresses are great to put directly at the point where the pain is concentrated . Cold reduces swelling and tissue inflammation, however ice should be wrapped in a towel so your skin wouldn’t be affected. Keep ice on the aching places for 15 or 20 minutes.
5. Ginger tea has anti-inflammatory properties, so you can drink it several times a day, if the training was very difficult.