Day 5: Being a Healthier Author

It's about that time to talk about DOMS. Typically, the third day into a new workout or activity routine is the peak of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

Luckily pain isn't only in the muscles. Yay us, right?

Today, let's talk about some tips and tricks to deal with these newly discovered pains, in muscles we didn't even know we had. And ongoing problems too.

Muscle and joint soreness are unfortunately commonplace as we start putting our bodies through different activities. Our bodies adjust themselves against stresses. So, if we sit in a chair writing all day (talking about myself here) that becomes the new normal. The pain is our bodies healing from the damage of the new actions. BUT here is the good thing about most body pain; Our bodies come back stronger. Since some of that pain is inevitable let's talk about mitigating it so we can get on with our days.

Stretching:

This one is a huge help. Muscles have a tendency to stiffen up the day after activity. Stretching after the activity the day before will help reduce this effect. One thing about stretching is that we should try to avoid doing it when cold and we should also avoid stretching before activities.

Tip #1: As a kid, it was common to add stretching into a warm-up. That information has changed in the present day. Stretching before strenuous activity actually increases the chance of injury. Crazy right?

Note: There is something called active stretching which is what most people use nowadays before activity. I will try to get into this in a future blog.

Tip #2: Waking up sore is common, and if we can't stretch when cold does that mean I have to do something right away? Not with this tip. Try taking a long hot shower. Stretch your calves and shoulders in the shower itself. Then when you get out, stretch any other stiff areas.

Foam Rolling or Massage / Massage Guns:

This is a second option for muscle soreness mitigation. Not as helpful for joint pain, but usually working the muscles around a joint does help.

Unlike long lengthening stretches, foam rolling is actually a really good thing to do before an activity. The palpation of the muscle fiber will help work out knots and tight muscles without compromising joints as stretching can do. But foam rolling period is a great way to keep muscles healthy. It's like a massage we can perform on ourselves using our body weight. Nowhere near as relaxing, unfortunately, but definitely helpful.

Massage or Massage Guns are great for relieving muscle soreness also. I highly suggest a massage gun for targeting areas that are giving us problems. Hit that area with it every day and I guarantee that we will start seeing a change. Massage is fantastic as well, but a little harder to get regularly for most of us. Unless someone marries a masseuse... and I mean if you did...#winning?

Again the goal with all of this is to push through and stay consistent. We shouldn't let sore muscles or joint pain keep us from our consistency.

In closing here is tip 3. Try to find like-minded people and create a support network. A group can help motivate us. "We all support each other - each individual's success is a victory for us all. Keep consistent and let's keep working hard together."

Thanks, Doug Lohse for the quote.