Fitness Blog: How to cope when you’re constantly sore (PS - it's worth it)

The 90 Day Fitness Challenge is brought to you by Steve Nash Fitness Clubs.

When I first started learning how to drive stick, I would plot my route to avoid hills. After a workout at Steve Nash Fitness Club, I plot my route to avoid taking the stairs. For me, the muscle soreness after a workout has always felt like a welcomed discomfort, and one that signifies progression. Yes, brushing my teeth feels like flexing and laughing has become a selective process (“is this joke worth the clenched abs?”) but the ache is a reminder that I’m adapting to my fitness regimen.

Working out/Steve Nash Fitness Clubs

I’ve learned that the soreness I feel up to 48 hours after a workout is referred to as DOMS, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – a result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to.

Weights workout/Steve Nash Fitness Clubs

It’s also entirely worth it. Movement has begun to feel necessary, even if accompanied by groans. I have learned that I would much rather be in motion, than remain stagnant. I would rather feel pain from a body that is getting stronger than one that is falling apart.

Core work out/Steve Nash Fitness Clubs

While there is no magic panacea for avoiding the soreness, there are a few things I’ve done to help minimize its severity and ensure I remain a functioning member of society:

Feeling hot and cold

Living in Vancouver already feels like a constant state of switching between hot and cold: bolting through the rain into a warm coffee shop, feeling sweaty and shedding layers, only to head back out into the tsunami shortly after. When my muscles are sore, I try to be more deliberate when alternating between hot and cold flashes. I like to apply a bag of frozen veggies on my sore legs for about fifteen minutes, followed by a heating pad for another fifteen. Followed by a nap.

Stretch

When muscles are recovering, they tend to tighten up. Slow stretching, hot yoga, and waking up a few minutes earlier to give my body permission to move at a slower pace, have all diffused the pain.

Warm bath

Not only do you get to check out your progress while you lather, but a warm bath improves circulation and loosens up aching muscles.

While your body is adapting to the increase in exercise, take it easy for a few days or try some light exercise like walking. Keeping your muscle moving will train both your body and mind to push through the pain.