Surely, you’ve had those days when you feel good about your workout session with your personal trainer, only to have it ruined due to muscle soreness the following day. That’s the greatest paradox of exercise, muscles become stronger by “breaking down”—the post-workout is where the real magic happens. Sometimes, workouts can make your muscles feeling sore and achy, which is totally normal, but sometimes there are also days when the pain is just unbearable.

No worries, you’re totally not alone. In fact, there is a technical term for post-exercise muscle soreness: DOMS, short for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness.

DOMS typically occurs 48 to 72 hours after your workout session, as your body repairs muscle fibres during the workout. Extreme soreness is occasional and usually occurs after workouts that your muscles aren’t used to.

The best remedy for post-workout muscle soreness is allotting recovery time—but there are a few “quick fixes” you can try that might ease the pain a bit:

Do light movements

When your muscles are feeling sore, you tend to rest on your bed the whole day doing nothing… but that would actually make the soreness worse. Moving your body increases circulation which can improve the blood flow throughout the body. Increased blood flow speeds up the repair process which can reduce the DOMS.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should immediately pack your bag, contact your personal trainer and go to a gym in Wilmslow… if the muscles are still sore, opt for light movements such as a calm stroll in the park.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Drink water. Researchers found out that there’s a correlation between dehydration and increased DOMS. Water helps flush out waste products that can increase muscle soreness. When muscles break down, they release waste products and toxins that the body needs to filter out, such as hydrogen ions and an enzyme called creatine kinase.

Stretch lightly

Stretching can release the tightness of sore muscles which can make you feel better, even if it’s not repairing any faster. Try to do some light stretching but be careful not to overstretch as the muscles can become tighter if the body is trying to resist it.

Get enough protein

Protein is an important nutrient when you’re trying to build and maintain muscles, so it can also help your muscles recover from strenuous workouts.

However, make sure not to consume excessively high amounts of protein. Aim for about 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For an active person who weighs at 150 pounds, that’s about 95 to 136 grams per day, split up between all meals.

Try heat or ice to ease the pain

To reduce the swelling you feel when you experience muscle soreness, applying ice may help in reducing some pain-causing tension. On the other hand, heat can also minimize tension and pain signals. If a warm bath makes you feel better, then try doing that as this may also help with circulation.

If you experience severe pain during exercise or if the muscle soreness doesn’t improve after a couple of days, that may indicate that you’re actually injured. It’s best to see a healthcare professional. To avoid injury, make sure to learn the proper workout techniques as well, which can be done with the guidance of a personal trainer.