Whether you are a pro or it is your first day at the gym; sore muscles after workout are a common occurrence. Many people new to working out also wonder whether they should continue if their muscles are sore. The answer is yes. While you mustn’t over do things and you should ideally give your body some time to heal and recover; you must continue working out once your muscles recover. Here are some home remedies to relieve the pain and soreness

1. Do not forget the warm up

The first thing to do when you start working out, is to warm up well. Do some pushups, squats, jumping jacks and sprints. These exercises will stretch your muscles and prepare them for the workout. A good warm up will also allow the muscles to do their full range of motion while exercising. Muscle soreness recovery will also be faster if you have a good warm up first. Ideal pre-workout warm up: go for a brisk walk or run on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes.

2. Always start slowly

People often wonder if muscle pain after workout is a good or bad thing. The answer is neither. You get sore muscles for three main reasons:

• Your muscles are not used to the exercise
• They are used to a different exercise or
• You suddenly increase your exercise duration or routine.

So always start slowly and increase the routines and timing gradually. Even if you are highly experienced, you should schedule regular periods of rest.

3. Stretch after exercise

Stretching is as important as warm up and can help with muscle soreness and recovery. While you mustn’t over-stretch, do make sure you give a good stretch after each workout. This will relieve soreness faster.

4. Drink tons of water

To relieve body pain after first day of gym, drink tons of water. This is true for all subsequent days you workout since water throws out all of the toxins and acids from joints to relieve pain. Increased water intake will also help you with weight loss.

5. Pain relieving balms

Many people find pain relief balms useful to counter minor aches and soreness. You can also make a pain relief blend at home using the following recipe:

• 4 drops each of Lavender and Rosemary oils
• 2 drops of Ginger oil
• 1-2 drops of Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Balsam oils
• 4 tsp of Jojoba or Sweet Almond oils

Mix all the essential oils and add them to the Almond/Jojoba oil. Massage the blend on aching or pulled muscles. This is a great remedy to relieve sore muscles in thighs.

6. Use ice first then heat

Runners often experience sore thigh muscles after running. The use of ice brings down swelling and when you apply heat immediately after icing the area, you improve blood circulation to the region. This results in faster muscle recovery.

7. Apple cider vinegar

Use apple cider vinegar to relieve muscle soreness in the following ways:

• Drink 2 tsp organic apple cider vinegar mixed with water or juice
• Soak a flannel cloth in the vinegar and apply it to the aching areas.

8. Rice in sock

Add a few cups of rice to an old sock and seal the opening. Microwave the sock on high for about a minute and a half. Use the warm sock to gently press the sore muscles and aching joints. You can also apply a bit of pain relieving essential oil (such as Lavender, Peppermint or Eucalyptus etc) and then press the skin with the rick-in-sock.

9. Epsom salt baths

Epsom salt baths contain magnesium which has pain relieving properties. Soak in a tub bath filled with warm water and a cup of Epsom salts. This will take away the pain and inflammation and give you much needed relief.

These 9 home remedies will definitely relieve sore muscles and ensure speedy recovery post workout.