Do you find yourself having trouble recovering after a tough workout? Are your muscles sore and are you incredibly tired the next day or so? That’s not normal, actually, and there may be some changes you need to make so that you are not having so much trouble recovering. Here are some tips that can help you.
1. Get a Good Night’s Rest
The fitness experts agree that the best thing to do to recover quickly from workouts is to make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you started a workout program recently and have not adjusted your sleep schedule, then you may be doing yourself a disservice. In the first few weeks of working out, your body may require some extra sleep. You might have trouble adjusting to the workouts initially, and getting a few extra hours of sleep a week can help quite a bit.
2. Adjust Your Workouts
You probably want to see major gains in a short period of time, and as admirable as it may be to go full force with your workouts and to try to push yourself, it may not be the best move to begin with. Your body might need some time to get used to working out, especially if it is not something you have been doing much of recently.
When you start going to the gym, you should ease into the workout program rather than try to start off big. Work your way up to your gym goals rather than pushing yourself hard to make sure you achieve everything you want in a short amount of time.
If you see that your workouts are causing you to be very tired and sore, then you may need to ratchet them back a bit. Look for signs of overworking, which can appear whether you are doing too much at work or in the gym.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
The reason you are experiencing so much muscle soreness could be because your muscles are dehydrated. A lack of water in the body can make your muscles achy and make it take longer for them to recover. Be sure to hydrate before you start working out, though not so much that you feel the water swishing around inside of you as you move.
Also hydrate during your workout, if necessary, drinking water whenever you feel the need to. Then, drink plenty of water afterwards to help with the recovery process. All of this will ensure that your muscles don’t become dehydrated and take so long to lose the feeling of soreness.
If you are not drinking enough water, you can get muscle cramps as well, which will prevent you from being as flexible when you work out.
If you aren’t sure if you are getting enough water before, during, and after your workout, then just listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs water. You may need to stop and pay attention to it from time to time during your workout so you don’t risk ignoring what your body is trying to tell you.
4. Take Time to Relax
Working out can be great for you and give you more energy over the long term, but it can also be draining. The early weeks of a new workout are the toughest, and they will likely wear you out quickly.
Be prepared to take extra time to rest, not just by sleeping but by taking some time off the duties that tax your body. The chores you do around the house, like cleaning, mowing the lawn, and even washing dishes may have to wait until you are rested. See if you can get help with some of these as your body adjusts to the workout.
You may initially hesitate to hire someone to cut your grass or clean your Miami home (or wherever you reside). Once you start to feel really tired, though, you may reconsider it. The extra help could give you time to rest up, and then as you get used to the workouts, that might not be necessary anymore.
5. Get a Massage
Those tired muscles may just need some TLC, and a massage might be just what the doctor ordered. A professional massage can ease the pain right out of your tired muscles, though you could do a little self-massage and rub the parts of your body you can reach on your own.
Also try other therapeutic measures like warm compresses, pain relievers, and hot baths. Some experts even recommend contrast water therapy for your muscles to alternate between warm and cold water for easing muscle pain. You can try some of these methods and see if they help. After a few weeks of working out, you should rarely have sore muscles, unless you are overdoing it. If you constantly feel the need to use therapy for sore muscles, then refer to point #2 on this list.
6. Change Your Habits
Did you know that there are some bad habits you could do that can make your muscles extra sore and keep you from recovering quickly? Any kind of drugs can have a negative effect on your body and your workout recovery.
In particular, alcohol and tobacco are bad for making a quick recovery after working out, so if you partake of those regularly, you should either cut back or eliminate them, if possible. That will help quite a bit and you will notice a difference in your recovery time and how you feel following your workouts.
Both of these drugs will tax your body, requiring a recovery period of their own, so that is extra work you are giving your body when you work out and smoke or drink alcohol. Of course, harder drugs will be even more damaging and make it even more difficult for you to feel good after a workout.
A good gym session should leave you feeling energized, but if that isn’t the case, then consider if you need to do any of these things we talked about to improve your results.