Alysia Gadson is a certified RKC Kettlebell Instructor and a Spinal Care Specialist. Originally from Australia, she currently lives in Newport Beach, CA where she focuses on kettlebell training for women in her weekly classes and her Ultimate Kettlebell DVD series.
So you’ve done your first workouts, or you’ve just done some new exercises or kicked it up a notch with a heavier kettlebell. And now you’re sore. Not…I-can-walk-normally-but-I-can-feel-some-muscle-fatigue sore. No, you’re…I-can-barely-walk-at-all, stairs-are-impossible-and-I-can’t-get-on-or-off-the-toilet-unassisted sore. Stupid sore. I-want-to-cry sore.
Well, good for you!
Being that sore all the time is not only dumb, it will actually make you depressed. And you’ll stop working out, because you’ll realize that life is not worth living if you can’t even get off the couch. But I think it’s good for you to feel that soreness every so often. It builds mental toughness and raises the bar for how hard you’re willing to push it. Best of all, you get some bragging rights.
But when you wake up cringing at the thought of how it is going to feel when you try to get out of bed, all you can think about is making the pain go away. So, how do you do it?
First – and most important – drink a lot of water. You should be drinking half your bodyweight in ounces every day anyway. Meaning, if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking a minimum of 75oz of water every day (sorry, other beverages don’t count and the beer-is-mostly-water argument doesn’t work). But if you’re really sore, drink at least an extra 32oz a day, maybe even 64oz if you’re heavier (over 200lbs). Don’t go overboard and drink several gallons…that’s very bad for you. Remember, the point is to hydrate, so avoid anything that dehydrates you, such as coffee, alcohol, and sodium.
Next – and almost equally important – get a bit more sleep. Your body heals itself when you’re sleeping, and you’re sore because you have thousands of microscopic tears in your muscles (and a lot of lactic acid). Don’t worry, those tears are supposed to be there. Microscopic tears are what causes you muscles to grow…when they heal, your muscles become stronger (major muscle tears are a completely different thing, and should be avoided entirely). So, give them the rest they need to heal! When I’m I-wish-I-was-dead sore, I take a daily two-hour nap until it goes away. And I still sleep 8 hours at night.
Food choices will affect how long you’re sore for. Eat plenty of protein and green vegetables. Organic food has a lot more nutrients than the factory-farmed stuff and to me it’s worth the extra money. Don’t eat crap – your body can’t heal itself on junk food!
An Epsom salts bath can be very soothing. Don’t make the water too hot, and only sit in it for 15 minutes or so. Then drink 32 oz of water and go to bed. Epsom salt detoxifies your body, so you need extra water to flush the toxins out.
As ridiculous as it sounds, going for a walk will help a lot. Hobble along slowly, like an elderly person on an afternoon stroll. You’re just trying to get the blood moving through your muscles. This isn’t a cardio session. When you get home after 10 to 20 minutes, stretch very gently. Do not try to “push” the stretch of a super-sore muscle…it is more susceptible to damage. Now is the time to kind to yourself! On my Ultimate Kettlebell DVD, I walk you through a great strech routine you can follow along with.
Massage is another good way to get your blood moving through your muscles. Either have your favorite loved one help you out, or do it yourself. Sit down, relax the affected limb, and gently knead the muscle like dough. Again…be gentle. Getting in deep when massaging a muscle that’s healing will do more harm and no good.
And lastly, remember, once your get into a regular weekly workout routine, debilitating soreness won’t be an issue.
