Going for a hard workout session was a great idea. You knew that the outcome was going to be amazing. You also knew that this workout was going to result in a lot of bittersweet soreness and stiffness throughout your body. That is something you can manage very easily. When you have the right resources and adequate knowledge, things become clearer. When you know how to relax your body and give your sore muscle fibers the much-needed opportunity to grow and repair, life becomes easier. Let’s begin with the following relaxing techniques you can try easily:
1. Ice Cold Showers
A lot of people prefer to go for ice cold showers or ice packs when trying to relax their sore muscles all over. Cold showers and ice packs help your muscles recover fast enough for you to be able to regain your daily activities quickly. They help you get rid of any kind of soreness, pain, stiffness, and inflammation from your overworked muscle fibers. Applying an ice pack or a cold compress on your affected body parts, muscles, and joints is a great way to relax your body. Your feet, shoulders, back, and arms can benefit a lot from this treatment right after your exercise routine.
2. Do You Get Enough Sleep?
Sleeping at least 6 to 8 hours in a day is a great way to relax your body. It is also a very practical approach to releasing all the tension from your body and relaxing your sore muscles after you have completed a rigorous workout session at the gym. It is very easy to enter into a completely restorative state by taking a short nap right after your workout if possible.
Remember not to binge watch your favorite shows on Netflix or even turn on the TV to have a look at the latest news headlines. When you are planning to sleep, make sure to dim all the lights and turn off all your gadgets and devices. You will notice how your body enters into the slumber mode and this gives you the perfect opportunity to rest and recover from the strenuous workout that you have just performed. It is never a good sign if you have any kind of trouble while sleeping. You can drink a small cup of warm milk with a pinch of turmeric powder and see how well you can sleep.
3. Try Yoga For A Change
This could be one of the most amazing and rejuvenating activities that you could perform everyday. Yoga is great for your mind and body. It gives you inner peace and helps you relax from inside out. All you have to do is pick a time that suits you the best and practice several of its poses and positions along with deep breathing exercises. Do not forget to give a few minutes to meditation and you will notice just what a mountain of a difference it makes in your everyday life.
4. Stretching Helps A Lot
If you are wondering what is active stretching, you have come to the right place. This is the most interesting method of improving flexibility in your body. All you have to do is understand how to contract one muscle group and in turn, stretch the opposing muscle group without applying any external force. The biggest benefit of practicing regular stretches is that they allow you to expand and contract your muscle fibers very easily. It is especially helpful after an intense workout that you might have performed for gaining muscle mass.
Even if you have performed an extensive session of cardiovascular exercises, you can perform these stretches after you are done. You can do quad stretches, cross-body arm stretch, toe touches, and a lot more. You can stretch your legs and arms in various positions to gain more flexibility across all your overworked muscle fibers. Post-workout stretches help you gain more agility and allow your body to cool down faster. They also help you recover from any sprains and minor injuries that you may become prone to contracting once you are done with your strenuous workout.
5. Focus On Your Diet And Nutrition
This is going to be something of a life changer for you. You should know that your workout is responsible for around 20 to 30% of your overall progress. While your nutrition is responsible for 70 to 80% of your overall physical appeal. This is to say that you are what you eat. Regardless of how much weight you lift and how many miles you run on the treadmill; you are always going to lose the battle if you are not winning the war in the kitchen.
The following insights should help you come up with a balanced diet very easily:
- Your body needs protein and a good amount of it to repair its muscles and grow back stronger
- You may choose to invest in a high quality and easily soluble whey Protein powder for this purpose
- Make sure to eat some form of easily digestible protein post your workout if not whey
- You can also come up with a plant-based protein rich snack made from soy and sprouted lentils
- Invest in protein rich peanut butter
- Supplement your diet with amino acids and healthy carbohydrates
- Cut down on sugar and salt intake gradually from your diet to maintain a healthy body composition
- Incorporate apple cider vinegar in your daily diet
- Drink at least 6 liters of water in a day to help remove all the toxins from your body
- If you are trying to gain healthy weight, make sure to eat at least 1.5 g to 2 grams of protein per kg of your body weight
- Eggs are a very easily digestible form of protein that should be ideally eaten with the egg yolk
- You may also supplement your diet with vitamin c and zinc capsules regularly
- Do not forget to add yoghurt and other probiotics in your everyday nutrition plan to keep your gut and digestion healthy
Wrapping Up
Nobody is a fan of sore muscles and aching joints. These techniques can be used practically every day to relax your body and mind. If you love yourself, you will find the time to incorporate these habits in your everyday life.