“Owwww…I can’t wallllk!” or “Oooo it hurts when I laugh!”
Have you ever said that when you woke up the day after a particularly tough trip to the gym?
Everyone wants to feel like they put in a good workout. They want to feel the burn or have that heart pumping energy and some sense that they’ve completed a challenge — worked through their weaknesses. But what if you push yourself a bit too hard and feel it…in a not so good way.
First, there are many obvious signs that you’ve taken it a bit too far. For a general overview of some of these mental/physical signs, check out my article “Are You Pushing Yourself Too Hard?”
Second, analyze what’s going on in your body and determine if you need to stop exercising completely or merely modify your current workout.
A good rule of thumb is that exercise should mostly leave you feeling energized and ready to take on the world. If it doesn’t, there could be other issues at play. Beyond problems with dehydration or an oncoming sickness, here are some aches and pains you should.
Is it Muscle Pain?
Muscle Pain and soreness is often associated with a change or beginning of a fitness routine. It’s new! The body’s reaction to new “stress” is going to be a little soreness. It normally occurs anywhere from 24-48 hours after the workout.
What to do? Modify your workout slightly and increase your warm up/stretching time.
I tend to do a combination of dynamic stretching and static stretching before I workout. Then, I do another round of stretching or foam rolling on muscles that are sore at the end of the workout.
Other things you can do – drink more water! Make sure to hydrate yourself in the days after a tough workout. This really stands no matter what. When you are dehydrated you won’t feel energetic after your workout. So be on the signs for a headachy or dizzy feeling. It happened to me once in hot yoga. It can happen to anyone!
Ok…the last three are all on the “go see a doctor” list… I know who it is…you get hurt, feel a twinge and instead of calling a doctor or even someone you know…you get online and search for what it could be and how to fix it. This ain’t that article. Go to a doctor if any of the following sound like you.
Or Something More Serious?
Here are some other types of situations that can be cause for concern.
Joint Pain and discomfort around major joints can be very serious. I’m talking wrist, knee, hip, shoulder, ankles. Don’t modify your exercise or think wrapping it in an ace bandage is going to help. Joint pain can be caused by many different things, so just go get it checked out before you continue any exercise.
Persistent, Nagging Pain. Do I need to tell you to go to the doctor for this? Some say to go to a doctor if the pain is longer than 2 weeks, but I say if a pain isn’t going in a few days…just go. You can certainly try to use OTC pain relievers and ice to alleviate the pain, but if it doesn’t work…you know what to do.
Swelling anywhere – is usually a sign of injury. Go see a doctor…
Once You Get a Diagnosis
After you know what you are dealing with, getting back on track with your workouts can be as simple as avoiding the area in question until it has FULLY recovered.
Some treatments might include medication and/or one of the following:
- Stop Doing Your Normal Workout (maybe just avoid area with injury)
- Do Physical Therapy
- Change your fitness routine completely
- Change Your Diet
- Taking Pilates!
Oh wait…that doesn’t sound so bad! In fact, all of these things might be good for you on from time to time. what’s wrong with those things? Nothing. Take care of yourself and if you overdo it, take the appropriate steps to recover. Your body will love the change and may respond by functioning better as a result of your attention.
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