Sweet Goodness, Somebody Make This Pain Go Away!

“Ah, my legs.” “Oh no, not stairs, again!” “How am I going to get this shirt on” “Dog-gone it UFIT, why have you done this to me!”

Contrary to popular belief, we here at UFIT do not take great pride in making people suffer or hearing them curse our name. We do however love pushing you to be the best person you can be and are here to guide you along the way.

You are new to UFIT. We welcome you! Come to us with questions or concerns anytime.

Now to the real reason for this email. You’ve trained a few times and odds are you are pretty sore or will be some time down the road. Here are a few helpful nutritional hints to diminish that Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and increase your Recovery process.

We get it you are busy, here are the bullet points on what to consume to increase your recovery process. If you want to know the science behind it all or if you are a “why” person, keep reading and we will fill you in.

UFIT’s Tips to Reduce Muscle Pain and Speed Recovery

  1. Cherries & Berries– To Increase Antioxidants & Decrease Inflammation
  2. Whole Grains, Starchy Vegetable & Fruits– To Increase your Depleted Glycogen Levels
  3. Water– Drink Up to Decrease Dehydration
  4. A Variety of Nuts– Healthy Fats Provide A Boost to Muscle Strength
  5. Eggs– Increase Muscle Growth & Decrease Overall Soreness
  6. Salmon– Decreases Inflammation & Improves Cellular Responses
  7. Cinnamon– To Repair Tissue Faster & Storing Glycogen

The “Why”

In short you are sore because every time you engage in strenuous activities, i.e. lifting weights, pushups, squats, etc. you are creating tiny, micro tears in your muscles. This is normal and is in fact, it allows us to grow stronger over time. In the short term, you are sore and your body is meticulously knitting your muscles back together, healing your micro-traumas. There are a lot of chemicals, hormones, enzymes and so forth that all play there part here but that is for another time. Ultimately proteins and carbs are the biggest players in recovery but consuming a host of nutrients allow you to feel better faster.

Cherries & Berries are rich in antioxidants, specifically anthocyanins and polyphenols protect your cells from damage. In return they reduce muscle soreness. Dark berries are packed with antioxidants that help protect damaged cells that may lead to cancer. Tart cherries raise the melatonin levels after consumption causing you to sleep better, allowing better recovery.

Whole Grains, Starchy Vegetables & Fruits: After a hard workout your glycemic reserves in your muscles are tapped out and need replenishing. (Glycogen is source of energy for your body.) Carbohydrates, starchy vegetables and fruits with a higher glycemic index will quickly replenish your muscles and allow you to bounce back from an intense workout. The addition of glycogen will also boost insulin production, which will in turn decrease amount of inflammation produced from activity.

Water: Drink more water. Water is good. You pretty much are water. The water in our bodies is incredibly versatile. We need water to properly regulate temperature and to make sure our heart and muscles are operating correctly. When we are a little dehydrated our blood plasma volume to decrease and our blood to become more viscous. This means your body works harder and recovers slower.

A Variety of Nuts provide an appropriate ratio of healthy fats in your diet. Nuts have omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that when in balance help your body heal faster. Nuts also contain a large amount of Vitamin E which helps with overall restoration or the micro-traumas done to your muscles while promoting muscle strength. As you continue to train, muscle strength will allow these micro-traumas to decrease as you build lean muscle and lose excess fat.

Eggs are fantastic. Our body’s love the protein and Vitamin D that eggs are found abundantly in eggs. The Vitamin D sooths the muscle soreness while the protein repairs your muscles. An important amino acid for building muscle is leucine and eggs are filled with it. Eggs also contain a variety of antioxidants that help in the reduction of inflammation post exercise.

As you can see eggs are wonderful for you. Research has shown that egg yolk holds many of these positive nutrients and that eating eggs will not elevate your triglycerides and cholesterol levels. A sedentary life and increased levels or refined carbohydrates is the culprit for these aliments.

Salmon and other cold water fish are packed with protein, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA that reduce inflammation and diminish muscle soreness. These fatty acids help increase the body’s cellular signaling which basically means it enhances the speed of communication in our body. This again creates a better environment for increased productivity.

Cinnamon is delicious and nutritious. Cinnamon has the ability to improve protein synthesis by affecting the uptake of carbohydrates into glycogen. This means that you can pepper that cinnamon on whatever your heart desires and you’ll find that those muscles are a bit less sore and more mobile as you have improved build those muscle and trim that fat.

As you can see UFIT actually cares for you and wants the best for your body. That is why we feel it is vital to give you all the little tips possible to keep you moving faster and for longer, in order to make your dreams a reality. Incorporate a few of these tips into your everyday life and lets start getting the results you’ve been waiting for.


Chris Maxey is the Studio Director at UFIT Fitness Studio Murfreesboro. He enjoys using his background as an Athletic Trainer to provide a Sports Medicine approach to Personal Training. Chris is an Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Ufit aims to educate and empower. Nutrition & Fitness is the foundation to your health and wellness. We want you to eat right and move right so you live a longer, stronger life and in return positively impact others in your community. Who can you impact in your circle of influence?