In previous posts exercise has been described as a necessity in maintaining good health. Perhaps the benefits of exercise are best summed up in a single word: longevity. With a regular, preferably daily regimen of at least 30 minutes of exercise, you’re automatically addressing each of the five points outlined above. Start when you’re in your youth and stick with it throughout your life. After all one of the best ways to improve the quality of our lives is exercise. A lack of exercise does have a cumulative effect over the years. You become more likely to prematurely develop serious health problems. On the other hand, if you exercise regularly, you’ll probably live longer and enjoy better health well into your old age. However, sometimes we develop sore muscles. Here Dr. Mercola, Mercola.com, reflects on why sore muscle are not always a reason to skip your workout:

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“If you’ve been active at all — gardening, lifting weights or trying a new workout routine — you’ve very likely experienced some type of muscle soreness, whether acute or delayed onset. While it is common to experience post-exercise muscle soreness when you have just resumed activity after a period of inactivity, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) can occur even during periods of consistent exercise.

 

Understanding why your muscles are sore and how you can both minimize and accommodate sore muscles will help you deal with muscle discomfort, tenderness and stiffness. You might be surprised to learn that sore muscles are not always a reason to skip your workout.

Why Exercise?

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If you are still wondering why exercise is important, I’d like to remind you of a few of the reasons why your body needs physical activity on a regular basis. Because most of these benefits are temporary, not permanent, you will benefit most by getting active and staying active. In terms of benefits, exercise:

 

Boosts your metabolism and helps you to maintain a healthy weight

Helps you avoid chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes

Reduces depression symptoms and improves sleep quality1

Soothes anxiety and improves your mood2

Supports your neurological system and brain so it resists shrinkage as you age; improves your cognitive abilities3

Tones and strengthens your muscles

Dealing With Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness

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Very often when you exercise, especially if you’re trying something you’ve never done before or ramping up the intensity of an exercise you’ve been doing for a while, you experience muscle soreness, which can also be accompanied by cramping, pain and stiffness. Generally speaking, most of these outcomes are usually not a cause for concern. Later in this article, I will share some ways to treat muscle soreness at home.

 

While most people expect short-term muscle soreness, some are not prepared for DOMS — the gradually increasing soreness known to occur between 24 to 48 hours after you’ve been active. “DOMS is a common result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to,” said David Draper, professor of athletic training in the department of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. As a result of the strain, says Draper, “Small microscopic tears occur in the muscle.”⁴

The act of creating these micro tears automatically signals your body to send amino acids and other nutrients to help repair stressed muscles. The more you exercise and stress your muscles, the more your body activates the muscle repair process. Over time, your muscles continue to grow bigger and stronger. To help support the growth and rebuilding of your muscles, you’ll want to eat moderate amounts of high-quality protein as part of your daily diet.

According to Draper, DOMS occurs when your muscles are performing an eccentric or lengthening contraction, such as the portion of a bicep curl when you are lowering the weight back to its starting position. Some other activities normally associated with DOMS include jogging or running downhill, push ups, squats and weightlifting.⁵

In addition to DOMS-related pain, you may also experience sensitivity to touch, soreness, stiffness or weakness in the affected area. Fortunately, DOMS generally peaks in 24 to 72 hours and resolves completely in three to five days.⁶ “The aches and pains should be minor and are simply indications that [your] muscles are adapting to your fitness regimen,” says Carol Torgan, Ph.D., health strategist and educator with the National Institutes of Health and spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine.⁷

Who Is Affected by Muscle Soreness?

Although you may think only hard-core exercisers or bodybuilders would be at risk for muscle soreness, especially DOMS, the truth is both beginners and longtime exercisers alike experience it. “Anyone can get cramps or DOMS, from weekend warriors to elite athletes,” stated Torgan. “The muscle discomfort is simply a symptom of using your muscles and placing stresses on them that are leading to adaptations to make them stronger and better able to perform the task the next time.”⁸

Given your susceptibility to muscle soreness, especially if you are just beginning to exercise, it’s important to set yourself up for success by understanding what your body may go through as it begins to build tolerance to regular exercise. If you experience a great deal of discomfort after your first workout and have not received proper knowledge or guidance, you may give up.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2018/04/20/sore-muscles.aspx

 

Photo By Keith Allison