The less fun part of exercising—soreness

You see it coming. You pushed yourself hard, and now you're paying for it. Two days of walking like Yosemite Sam and "ow-OW-ow!" yelping as you climb up the stairs. How do you deal with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)? Use two general approaches: increase circulation to peripheral blood vessels and decrease inflammation.

Try some of these ideas:

• Take a day or two of rest. Or you could do about 15 minutes of mellow aerobic exercise (like an easy walk or a leisurely bike ride) to get the circulation going.
  
• Eat stuff with anti-inflammatory effects, such as flaxseed oil or fish. You could also try ricotta cheese, which contains a type of amino acid essential for repairing exercise-worn muscles. Seriously. I know I always claim that cheese is the answer to everything, but a study published in the Journal of Nutrition did find that eating ricotta cheese reduces soreness from intense workouts.
  
• Get a massage.
  • Find a therapist who specializes in sport massages.
    
  • For a low budget option, get one of those foam rollers and roll out the kinks yourself. I don't understand why those things cost more than what you think they should be worth, but they're a one-time expense. Stretching the fascia (thin layer of tissue that covers and muscle fibers) can loosen them up and ease the soreness.
    
  • Try ice massage. Freeze a paper cup or plastic water bottle filled with water. Massage your sore muscles with the cup or bottle. Get the blood flowing and decrease excessive muscle inflammation.
• Wash the pain away.
  
• Take a warm bath after exercise. For bonus points, add 200-400 grams of Epsom salt (available at Costco). Common belief says it's for relaxing muscles and decreasing inflammation (but studies do not support the claim).
  
• If you're brutally brave, take a 5-minute ice bath. Deduct points from macho score if you scream.
  
• For a saner version, try contrast showering. Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and two minutes of hot water. The idea is to increase peripheral blood flow.
  
• Drink water before and after exercise.
• Get enough zzzz's. Let your body repair itself and recover.
  
• Perform passive stretches (as opposed to dynamic stretches). You know, the gentle stretch-and-hold moves.
  
• Mask the soreness with some minty ointment.
  

If you're still sore for more than two days, you probably overtrained. You might want to consider easing up.

Also check out a great article on what do before, during, and after an exercise program to minimize soreness.