A lot of the time I find myself searching through my messy drawers grabbing for my box of Salonpas to patch up my shoulders to release the soreness - an outcome of doing too much writing on the white board and sitting in front of my laptop for prolonged hours (and of course, it is a side effect of playing on my phone/tablet too much). A lot of students, of course, would have this same problem when they sit in front of their computers working hard on their assignments or studying for upcoming tests or exams (or doing a bit of fb stalking); I was a student not so long ago so I can totally empathise! What causes muscle soreness? Muscle soreness is usually the outcome of overusing a specific group of muscles, there are also studies that suggest muscle soreness could be caused by stress, tension and anxiety too - all of these would cause the build-up of lactic acid in your muscles. Lactic Acid is a by-product of muscle metabolism and is known to cause muscle fatigue and discomfort. Lactic acid can be removed from the body naturally so we don’t really need to worry about having a very “acidic body”. Don’t worry- your body knows what to do with it! The question is- how do relief muscle soreness? Stretching – Stretching each morning or before you go to sleep can be beneficial. When you warm up your muscles they become less likely to experience tension and aching. This will also allow better circulation around your body and increases the rate at which lactic acid is “removed”. You don’t have to do difficult moves - they are just those silly warm up routines that you had to do at the start of your PE lessons in prep school. You can also use this video to help. Healthy diet and drink lots of water – Eating healthy and drinking water nourish the muscles, making it easier for them to relax- if you acquire enough mineral ions (mainly potassium, magnesium and sodium) then you are less likely to get cramps too. Exercise/Activity – Exercise may cause sore muscles in their own way, but the soreness tends to be less problematic and troublesome when its caused by intense exercise compared to when its caused by stress. Massage – Getting a massage may be a more enjoyable and relaxing way to work out muscle tension and pains. Many people find massage to also be very soothing in a way that other muscle treatments are not. Having a massage will also allow you to take your mind off things that are stressing you out, so take some time out to get a massage and return to your work with a refreshed brain and more tensionless body. This of course will improve your productivity! None of these are really that hard to achieve- so why not start doing these regularly? Don’t give yourself excuses to slack when you are not supposed to be! Ciao for now! - Janice, Centre Director
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 01:21:32 +0000
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