How To Be Sore, The Right Way

Sometimes, post-workout pain is a good thing.

In fact, it's kind of awesome. What else in life gives you such instant validation of your hard work? Before the generation of wearable fitness tech pretty much the only way we gauged our exercise was by carefully we had to walk down the stairs the next day. Pushing your body to the limit is an exhilarating and rewarding challenge, but like everything - expanding boundaries takes careful attention. Here's a few expert tips to manage or prevent your self-induced torture:

Stretch and Roll

You've heard this since the beginning of time. Your trainer, your coach, the person on the machine next to you offering their opinion - stretch. Unfortunately, none of them are going to be proved wrong anytime soon - at least until you evolve away your muscles reliance on lactic acid. Stretching reduces the release of lactic acid which is one of the main causes of serious muscle soreness, and keep it interesting with a hot yoga class or foam roller, like the one pictured above. "One of my favorite ways to soothe sore muscles is to take a hot yoga class," says Amy Opielowski of CorePower Yoga. Stretching and remaining consistent with your fitness are two surefire ways to alleviate pain, and yoga offers both.

Have The Right Post-Workout Snack

Turns out, watermelon isn't just the perfect post-workout snack because it's refreshing, it also contains amino acid that improves blood flow and increases overall recovery rate. You don't need an expensive powder or supplement.

Take A Bath Instead of a Shower

This is best the day after a workout, instead of same day because hot water can actually inflame stressed muscles even more. Increase effectiveness with Epsom salt, which has magnesium sulfate and works as a slight muscle relaxer.

For the complete list of tips and tricks, read the full article on Byrdie here.