How to Make Sore Muscles Feel Good

1

Rest the affected muscles from overly strenuous effort for 24-48 hours after the exercise that caused soreness -- especially, if the soreness is due to a weight lifting routine. For this time period, exert not more than around 50% of the level of effort (weight, distance and speed) that caused the muscle groups to be sore. This is the very best way that you can avoid feeling much pain from the soreness.

2

Massage is the best thing to do to your muscles. When you exercise to exhaustion, tiny tears occur in muscle fibers. The body's natural response to these tears is inflammation. Massage helps reduce the amount of cytokines the body produces, which play a role in inflammation.Massage also seems to increase the amount of mitochondria in your muscle, which enhances the muscles' ability to extract oxygen.^[

3

^{Stretch the muscles out. This will also help to get the lactic acid out of your muscles. Waiting a few hours after a strenuous workout before stretching is not the best. Stretch after activity that caused the soreness to prevent becoming stiff.}

4

^{Ice the muscle indirectly. Doctors recommend icing the muscle or muscle groups immediately after activity to reduce inflammation and provide more lasting relief.[3]When icing a muscle or muscle group, it's best to wrap an ice pack in some sort of buffer — light cloth works well — before applying the ice.}

5

^{Apply heat. After the first day of soreness, heat can be used to help blood flow to the muscle. This will help rebuilding take place and provide some soothing relief.}

• Take a shower. Allow warm water to hit the muscles, relaxing them. Alternate with warm and cool water for a homemade hydrotherapy treatment.

6

Plan a proper diet including keeping hydrated. If your muscles are sore from intense activities such as weightlifting, your muscles are rebuilding themselves, needing water and lots of protein. Aim to take in 1 gram of protein per day for every pound of lean body mass you have.

• For example, a 160 lb. man at 20% body fat would want to take in approximately 130 grams of protein per day. This will speed up recovery times considerably, as well as prevent muscle loss from poor nutrition. Take Protein 15 to 45 minutes after workout for best results.

 7 

Take a bath or cold Jaccuzi. Fill your bath with warm water and a muscle relaxing liquid soap such as Radox. Stay in the bath for around 15 - 25 minutes for best results.

5 Healthy Protein Powder Alternatives

1. Gelatin

Gelatin boasts a whopping 7 grams of protein per tablespoon. Interestingly, the amino acid profile in gelatin is uniquely healthful. It contains a high percentage of glycine, an amino acid shown to improve sleep and may improve insulin sensitivity. Gelatin is also prized for improving digestion and soothing the digestive tract.

I only recommend gelatin from grassfed cows, which is Great Lakes Gelatin. My favorite way to eat gelatin is in my Tulsi Geleé. If you don’t want to eat homemade jello, you can purchase the Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate. This type of gelatin dissolves in liquid (it doesn’t set) and doesn’t really have any flavor. Stir a spoonful into your beverage.

2. Hardboiled eggs

Easy, healthy, quick, hardboiled eggs are the original fast food. The white provides quality protein made useable because it is paired with the nutrient-dense yolk. Always eat the white with the yolk – otherwise you are getting an incomplete protein. The yolk provides valuable cholesterol, fatty acids, and minerals.

When I’m preparing hardboiled eggs, I’ll make a whole dozen and put them back in the carton. Then I mark the carton with a big HB or a bright sticker so I (or other family members) don’t mistake these for uncooked eggs.

3. Pemmican

It’s nearly as much fun to eat as it is to say. This traditional meal-on-the-go provided early travelers and explorers with a nourishing combo of fat and protein. It always contains a mixture of tallow (fat) and jerky with some salt. You can find different varieties of pemmican, some with dried cherries or other natural flavor additions.

4. Cheese

It beats protein powder in both nutrition, convenience and flavor. Bone-building calcium, muscle-building protein and hormone-balancing saturated fat… processed protein powder can’t even come close to cheeses time-honored resumé. For a high quality fat and protein, source cheeses from grassfed cows (or goats or sheep), preferably raw milk cheese.

5. Raw milk

Milk: the original protein drink. It contains a synergistic balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Source RAW milk, which is a completely different thing than pasteurized milk. the factors that make raw milk so special.

It contains the live enzymes and bio-available vitamins that are destroyed during processing. Learn