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Suffering from muscle soreness? Luckily there are many home remedies to relieve muscle pain – and that’s exactly what we explore in this article.
Whether you are a keen athlete or a weekend warrior, when your muscles ache it can be a major source of irritation and inconvenience. At best it can be uncomfortable; at worst it can keep you out of action and force you to miss training. Not good.
Thankfully, there are many things you can do to ease muscle pain, from getting better sleep to taking certain supplements. Here are seven remedies to try today:
1. Eat ginger
Let’s kick off this list with a tasty tip – enjoy some ginger! Many studies have shown that supplementation with ginger can help relieve painful muscles after exercise. Considering that ginger has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, this makes complete sense.
You can try including some raw ginger as an ingredient in a zesty stir-fry, or grate it and drink it in a tea. You can also take daily ginger supplements, which are available in most good health food shops.
2. Try tart cherries
Tart cherries should be the next thing on your shopping list – or, at least, the juice. Increasing your consumption of tart cherry juice can help alleviate muscle pain and promote recovery, due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties within the juice.
Many studies have reported benefits. For example, one 2010 study that tested long-distance runners concluded that ‘ingesting tart cherry juice for 7 days prior to and during a strenuous running event can minimize post-run muscle pain.’
Sounds good to us! You can find tart cherry juice sold in many health food shops and online.
3. Use turmeric
Before we leave the world of nutrition for more active pain relief methods, we must give a mention the golden wonder that is turmeric.
This common spice contains the compound curcumin, which has renowned antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and has been reported as very beneficial to reducing pain.
Whether you take turmeric as a supplement or use as part of a delicious curry dish, be sure to use it along with black pepper, which is known to help absorption.
4. Enjoy a massage
Massage therapy can be very helpful in relieving muscle soreness. You can benefit both from self-massage as a home remedy, or you can opt for a professional masseuse who will tackle your aches and pains – especially in areas that are hard to reach (i.e., muscle pain in your back).
Why does massage help relieve muscle pain? Because physically stimulating the muscle can improve blood flow, which delivers more nutrients and oxygen to the area.
The result is a muscle that will heal quicker after being damaged. Plus – in case you needed further convincing – massages just feel great!
5. Soak in warm water
There’s nothing more pleasant than a long soak in a steamy shower, warm bath or hot tub when your muscles are sore and achy.
Providing you are not suffering any acute pain, sinking into heated water can relieve uncomfortable muscles. Like massage, heat bring the benefits of improved circulation to encourage recovery in the muscle.
You can enhance the recovery effect by adding a few handfuls of our bestselling WholyMe Relief Salts into your next bath. We infuse pure natural Epsom salts with recognised anti-inflammatory ingredients such as arnica oil and frankincense oil for the perfect blend of recovery and indulgence.
6. Apply essential oils
Essential oils such as the aforementioned arnica oil and frankincense oil, as well as rosemary oil and wintergreen oil, have proven anti-inflammatory properties. When massaged into your muscles, these oils can relieve pain and soreness.
You can use these oils individually, or mixed into a cream or balm. We recommend using our award-winning WholyMe Relief Balm, which is packed with essential oils including organic arnica, rosemary, and wintergreen, as well as nine other evidence-based natural ingredients that will help you recover faster.
7. Get some sleep
Muscle soreness is caused by microtears in your muscles, and healing this damage is crucial in relieving the pain. One of the best ways to heal the damage naturally is by getting some quality shuteye.
This is because when you sleep, your body produces higher levels of growth hormones, which promote muscle recovery.
Lack of sleep, meanwhile, can hinder muscle recovery, as revealed in this study from the Federal University of São Paulo in 2011. So forget about swiping around on social media into the wee hours or watching late night movies – get to bed!
Whether you choose to use one, two, or all of our home remedies, we hope this article has been helpful. Good luck in your quest to relieve muscle pain and aches, and get back on your feet!
