5 Tips to Manage Pain when Beginning Exercise for the First Time

You will need to manage pain when beginning exercise in a natural way. Painkillers won’t do much good, so you must treat your body right instead. Here are some tips to get started.

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Understand What Happens to Your Body

Your body goes through severe movements when you exercise. For example, your muscles get tougher because you essentially break them, and your body proteins repair them tougher. That’s a very basic example. So you can help yourself by knowing the science of recovery to better understand what happens before, during, and after your workout. You can study this at college or in classes. And YouTube has some great videos. But for a complete guide, you can use apps like Benefit Pocket with access to high-quality courses by professionals.

Stay Hydrated with Water Only

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times, but hydration is vital when it comes to exercise and life in general. Water helps your body generate the proteins required for repairing your muscles. But it also promotes brain health by increasing the effectiveness of synapses and neurons. These are essential for keeping your mind in tip-top condition. Try not to be tempted by sports and energy drinks. While they might taste better than boring old water, many of them do no good. They’re high in calories, sugar, and harmful substances like caffeine and taurine.

Use Supplements to Manage Pain when Beginning Exercise

The supplement market is huge these days. They’re so widely consumed that vitamins account for almost 80% of eCommerce OTC purchases online. You should know that vitamins and minerals aren’t a cure-all. But they are a massive help in getting some substances you might lack as part of a healthy diet. Some are essential for pain relief and restoration when exercising. Creatine and protein powders are two examples. Creatine is great for building muscle. But it has also been shown to improve glycogen production and reduce inflammation of muscles.

Get Enough Rest and Restorative Sleep

Resting after exercise is so important. When you put your muscles through their paces, they are damaged and need to rest for repair. So you should rest immediately after exercising and apply heat or cold compression depending on your pain. Additionally, you need sleep to repair muscles. During your N2 sleep stage at night, your body produces the proteins necessary for repair. You might have heard that you need eight hours per night for a decent sleep. But this varies by person. Some recommended sleeping for ten hours after an intense workout.

Heal Quicker with Massage and Relaxation

As part of your resting following a workout, relaxation therapies are your best friend. Specifically, methods that help soothe your muscles. Most high-end gyms offer massage, hydrotherapy, and saunas as part of their packages. And even some lower-end ones accommodate at least one of these facilities. If you are a member, you will do yourself a great service by taking advantage of them. Therapies like these will help reduce muscle inflammation and increase blood flow and oxygen. Therefore, they are a vital part of any post-exercise routine for optimal pain relief. 

Summary

When you exercise, you will feel pain during and after. But you can manage pain when beginning exercise with hydration, supplements, and rest, and relaxation therapies.