Souvenirs for My Mantel

I have a collection of "souvenirs" this morning.  What do I mean by that term?  It means I have several sore muscles from my exercise routines yesterday.  Yes, that was plural... "routines" with an "s" at the end.

My Sister Chicks small group exercise classes that I hold in my home are held in 8- or 9-week sessions with a typical one-week break in between sessions so that I can give my body a break and time for healing and rest. By the way, that's super important... to give your body a rest once in a while.

Well, yesterday was the first day of the first week back for our new 8-week session.  I do 3 morning classes a week, and 3 afternoon classes a week (with Saturdays and Sundays off).  On Mondays, I do both a morning AND an afternoon class (with only one class per day for the rest of the week).

So you might imagine that after taking a week off from all exercise, and then coming back and doing two classes on the first day... well, I was fine DURING the classes... but today... WOW!  What a collection of souvenirs I could put on my mantel right now!

 

So, what is muscle soreness?  Why do we get sore from a workout?  There are a lot of "experts" out there on your search bar that could tell you all about it, using big words... and 3 pages later... you're still confused by it all.  Some of the information is correct... and some is a little off.  But the most simple way to explain it is that when you work a muscle that you haven't used in a while (even as little as just a handful of days... trust me on that! ha!), or you use that muscle at a different angle than you have for a while, the muscle (under the strain of the work put on it) will develop small microtears in the fibers of the muscle.  These small tears are perfectly normal!  And the body is a wonderful God-made machine that heals quickly within a day or two.  

Some people take supplements or pain relief meds.  Some use massage therapy or compresses to relieve the soreness. And some just tough it out and enjoy their "souvenirs" as little reminders of time well spent in the gym or in an exercise class.  How you handle the pain of the soreness is up to you!  But, the next time you're sore... put a smile on your face (as long as those smile muscles aren't sore, too), pat yourself on the back (if your sore chest and arms muscles will let you reach back there), and tell yourself "good job"!

And if you want to read a little more on this subject, here's a relatable post called Fact or Fiction? "No Pain. No Gain."


Smiles and blessings - Tonya