A common complaint among exercise enthusiasts is aching joints. Whether you forget to warm up before your workout, or spent the majority of your session doing repetitive motions, there’s a good chance that you’ve woken up the morning after a gym session with more than just your muscles aching. Luckily, there are plenty of ways that prevent future exercise-induced joint pain, as well as ease it when it happens. Here’s what you need to know:
Don’t forget to warm up
Even the most seasoned athletes skip a warmup once in a while. Whether they’re in a hurry or simply think their fitness routine for the day is light enough to not warrant a warmup, they usually find themselves regretting it later on. Taking just five minutes to take your pre workout supplements, stretch your muscles and participate in light movements before getting down to business can make a world of difference the next morning.
Vary your movements
Not only will you find that your body benefits more from a varied exercise routine, but you’ll also learn that you’re much less sore when you don’t work the same muscle groups every day. According to Prevention, when your muscles are weakened from overuse, your joints have to bear the burden and sustain more of an impact with each movement. Designating an arm, leg and core day isn’t just a good way to ensure each part of your body gets ample attention, but it keeps your joints from aching as well! If you suffer from chronic joint pain but power through it, try adding swimming or other water activities to your fitness routine. This is a great way to stay active while putting little pressure on your joints.
If your joints ache
Luckily, easing achy joints after a workout is pretty simple. Boxing Insider suggested gently stretching your aching joint just far enough to where it begins to hurt, but not overextending yourself. Rest the joint for several days while using a cold or hot compress and elevating it. Don’t rush to get back to the gym, though. Trying to work out again too soon after sustaining a joint injury will ultimately cause you to have to miss more gym sessions when you hurt yourself even worse by not fully healing. One of the benefits of herbal supplements is the fact that they can ease aching joints!
