If you’re a frequent reader here at Muscle Anthropology, you know that we spend a lot of time convincing you that the benefits of massage can literally change your life. This is especially true for athletes, those with chronic pain, those who struggle with mental health, and so much more. However, as massage therapists, we can only do so much. Once you leave our table, it’s ultimately up to you to come back as needed and to take care of your body outside of our office. Well, how can you do these things? What’s the best approach? We won’t leave you Googling, “best way to get muscle relief.” Below, we’ve compiled a good ‘out of office’ guide to muscle pain relief. Let’s talk about what you put in your body.
Before We Dive In…
Before we start talking about what is generally recommended to consume or not consume, please remember that everybody, and every body, is different! If you have a specific condition or worry about your health, please speak with a medical professional, especially before making any major lifestyle changes. The information below was gathered from research based on a few different sample populations from various points within the last decade. What works for one person, or even a group of people, will not work for everyone!
Foods Known to Help Aid Muscle Relief
You know that feeling you get after you engorge yourself at a buffet or fast food restaurant? Typically, your stomach doesn’t feel too happy, right? Imagine how the rest of your body takes that food, especially if you just completed any type of physical activity! We have always been taught that food is fuel. So after a day of hiking, lifting weights, or simply just working hard, what should you be eating?
What You Probably Already Know
Your muscles being sore is your body’s way of healing itself. It’s recommended to eat a small snack after working out that is loaded with protein and a small amount of carbohydrates. Consider Greek yogurt with fruit, lunch meat on whole-grain bread, milk, or something of the sort. These snacks immediately after working out should help with some of the soreness that comes later on.
The soreness is essentially just inflammation. To combat this, you’ll later want to eat some anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, leafy greens, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids (fish), sweet potatoes, carrots, and more. Stay away from sweets, alcohol, or that tempting McDonald’s run on the way home from the gym to prevent yourself from feeling even more stiff in a few hours.
Something New to Try
Heavy gym-goers may already know this too, but here is potentially something new for you to try to aid in muscle pain relief. We just previously mentioned eating fruit to help your muscles, but some specific fruit juices actually work wonders for your muscles. Research suggests that drinking tart cherry juice accelerates muscle recovery, lowers inflammation, and reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). You can drink it before and after workouts to accelerate these results!
If cherries aren’t your thing, consider trying watermelon juice, pomegranate juice, beet juice, or just plain dairy. Watermelon juice, enriched with the amino acid L-citrulline, has been known to reduce muscle soreness within 24 hours of exercise. Results are similar with pomegranate and beet juice. Again, try drinking these juices before your workout, hike, or sports day. You’ll be surprised!
Homework From Your Massage Therapist
Between eating the right foods at the right time during your day and a routine massage, muscle pain relief is at your fingertips! There are a few other things you can do to really promote healing, muscle recovery, and an overall healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget to stretch periodically, especially if you sit all day for work, or if you do very strenuous work. Also, make sure you are getting enough sleep! It may take some time, and that’s okay, but incorporating everything here into your daily or weekly routine will have you feeling unstoppable again.
Not sure where to start? Start with a massage. Call Muscle Anthropology at (706) 267-0634.