Relieve Your Sore Muscles
With working out at home, sore and/or pulled muscles are more likely to happen. Just a friendly reminder that you shouldn't over do workouts and make sure to rest once a week! If you are (like me) have experiences with sore and/or pulled muscles, I've gathered some tried and true stretches!
Before I get in to working out your sore muscles, one of the best ways to relieve tension in your muscles is to have a nice hot shower with a shower massager. I love the rubber nubby scrubbers with some peppermint and coconut oil witch I mix up and pour a little on my scrubber. I’ll also do a nice lavandar epsom salt bath that help relieve tension.
Of course, another great way to deal with sore muscles is stretching. Yoga is a great way to stretch but since I’m limited to online classes, here are some tried and true stretches to relieve your sore muscles:
- Dynamic Stretches: I like to start with dynamic stretches for 3 to 5 minutes. Dynamic stretches help to move your joints through their full range of motion, and they get the blood flowing. My favorite dynamic stretches are, arm and leg circles, knee to chest stretches, cat & cow, and my favorite for my lower back doesn’t have a name but I’ll explain it. Place your left knee on a pillow on the floor as close to a wall as you can, your shin will parallel the wall. You can also do this in front of a couch and your foot can rest on the couch. Next, place your right foot on the floor with your leg bent at 90° or slightly forward of 90° now carefully, place your hands on the forward knee and raise your torso up as straight as you can, bellybutton to spine and butt muscles relaxed, and breathe! This stretch is the best I’ve done it to relieve sore muscles in my lower back. Don’t forget to switch sides!
- Calf Muscle Stretches: Calf muscle stretches feel great, and they are easy to do. My favorite way to stretch my calves is to stand a few feet away from a wall and lean forward with your hands on the wall keeping your heels firmly planted. Hold for 30-60 seconds.
- Quad Stretches: Those big quads are next. Quads and hamstrings are really no fun when they are sore. I like to stretch them when the hurt by balancing holding on a wall and bringing my heel to my butt and hold for a minute or so, change sides and repeat. And for hamstrings I’ll do a seated forward fold as well.
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Shoulder Stretches: For sore shoulders I like to place one hand on my elbow and pull it across my chest, as I pull my arm across my chest I straighten my arm.
- Side Bend Stretches: And last but not least I’ll do a standing or cross leg sitting side bend. So now all those muscles should be heading to not being sore. It takes some time but I try and make it relaxing while I’m soothing my sore muscles. Other ways of lessening the pain of sore muscles is rolling over the sore areas with a foam roller.
- Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Additionally, when you have sore muscles, hydration is definitely a must. Believe it or not, tart cherry juice is great for sore muscles. There is an ingredient called anthocyanins found in tart cherries which reduces inflammation, and turmeric has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties. My least favorite way to deal with sore muscles is ice. If I resort to using ice, I’ll use frozen peas and wrap them in a soft towel. It does work but, it’s soooo cold!!
Of course with all the stretches above, we use our handy dandy tulift bra inserts to help get the support we need without having to adjust our bra! Check out our FAQs on Tulifts if you have any questions!