You’re doing all the right things.
You’re working out, even though it’s often more tempting to spend an evening lounging on the sofa. You’re keeping fit, staying active, testing and pushing your body in multiple different ways. You’re slogging it out and sticking to a regime, just like all the medical advice says you should.
Yet somehow, it still feels like you’re being punished.
The sore muscles, aching limbs, and general sense of tiredness that a good workout regime can create can feel extremely unfair when you’re just trying to do your bit. You want to be in peak physical fitness, so that means putting the work in – but you definitely didn’t sign up for the toll it can take on your body. Exercise may well induce endorphins in the moment, good enough to make you feel you could sprint up Everest without oxygen – but the same cannot be said for the morning after.
The options to solve that after-gym feeling are: Give up exercise or find a way to fight back. Given that we can all agree the first isn’t really an option at all, what can you do to banish your after-gym aches into the past?
1) Warm Up and Cool Down
This bears repeating, as while we all know we should do it in theory, how often do we do it in practice? If you manage to get yourself to the end of a spinning class, the last thing you fancy doing is walking on a treadmill for 15 minutes. Instead, you head back to the showers and look forward to a nice drink in the evening.
Forgoing the time it takes to warm up and cool down is extremely costly when it comes to that after-gym feeling. You have to do these things to help your body adjust to strenuous exercise. No excuses!
2) Supplement Calcium, Magnesium, Collagen, and B Vitamins
There’s no doubt that supplements can make a difference when it comes to recovery from exercise. If you’re concerned about the potential side effects of supplements, then of course you should always discuss your usage with a doctor.
In the vast majority of cases, you will be given an all clear that allows you to use calcium, magnesium, collagen, and B vitamin supplements without cause for concern. You’ll find that AlgaeCal plant calcium side effects are next to non-existent, with the same results for the other workout essentials – so check with your doctor, then begin a regimen that can stop you from feeling those joint aches and muscle cramps the day you workout.
3) Use Heat
The best solution after a long day in the gym is to take a bath, preferably one that’s enhanced with magnesium salts. This lets your muscles relax and begin to rebuild their strength, as well as providing a much needed moment of calm for your mind.
It’s worth noting that if you fear you have injured yourself – rather than just the normal aches – then heat might do more harm than good. You should apply ice in the first 24 hours after an injury, to help keep swelling down and improve your chances of recovery. If it’s just the usual aches and pains, however, then a hot bath could be just what you need.
Do you have any tips on what has helped you improve workout recovery?
