“Muscle soreness is caused by micro-tears and inflammation in the muscle and is a response to physical stress from exercise,” says Kyle Gonzalez, NSCA, CSCS, CES, FMS level 1, a performance coach at Future, an app that pairs users with a remote fitness coach. “The micro-tears, increased blood flow, and inflammation cause mild swelling, which makes pain receptors more sensitive to movement. Soreness is a natural process, but without the right guidance it can be debilitating and lead to injury.” This brings up a very important point: Always listen to your body! Here are six ways to help relieve muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process so you can get back to feeling good as new. “Active recovery or light activity can reduce soreness, increase blood flow, remove chemical waste from your body, and help you adapt to training,” Gonzalez says. “It’s one of the best methods for relieving sore muscles naturally because it’s easy and convenient—just get up and move throughout the day. I like to use lower-impact activities like light cardio (swimming, walking, biking), stretching, and yoga.” Although stretching is one of the most prescribed methods for relieving muscle soreness, Gonzalez notes that static stretching does very little to relieve soreness directly. “Often it offers more of a placebo effect and more focus should be placed on doing a proper dynamic warm-up and cool-down.” RELATED: 6 Simple Yoga Stretches That Melt Away Muscle Tension

Tart cherry juice can reduce muscle pain and inflammation (but watch out for high amounts of added sugar). Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory spice that can reduce muscle damage. Cottage cheese is packed with whey protein that helps quickly replenish muscle protein and casein protein, which is slow-acting and can help continue that process while you sleep. Green tea is full of antioxidants that reduce muscle and cell damage and boosts hydration. Nuts and seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids to fight inflammation and protein to prevent muscle breakdown. Sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate that’s rich in nutrients and replenishes glycogen stores.

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