If you have ever worked out, you have likely noticed it can sometimes take a day or two for the soreness to set in. You may leave the local gym just a tad sore, but by the end of the next day, you can hardly lift your arms to brush your teeth and do your hair. Why is this? What is it that causes this? Is it possible to prevent this from happening? Read on to learn the answers to all of these questions.

What Is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

Also known as DOMS, this experience of delayed muscle soreness actually begins while you are exercising. This is particularly true if you increase the workout's intensity or you begin a new routine. This is because the muscles in your body are suffering very tiny microscopic tears from you performing movements that are new to the body. After you finish working out, the body gets in motion and begins the repair process of these recently-torn muscles. While this ultimately strengthens your muscles, you may feel as if it is going to be the death of you because of the soreness that you are experiencing.

How Can You Prevent DMOS?

After intense workout sessions, you do have options in regards to preventing muscle soreness. Here are three:

1. Watch what you eat. Follow your workouts with foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as nuts, spinach and salmon. This helps to give blood circulation a boost, which reduces the inflammation in your muscles and the rest of the body.
2. Take up foam rolling. This will increase blood circulation even more, while also increasing your flexibility, which is hardly ever a bad thing.
3. Perform proper pre- and post-exercises. Warming up beforehand will help to loosen your muscles so they aren't tight when you begin your high-intensity workout sessions. Warm-ups and cool-downs can also help prevent unnecessary sprains, strains and injuries by prepping and de-prepping your muscles.

Just remember that DMOS is normal and simply means that your body needs time to recover before you jump back into the swing of things full-force. You need to keep moving to speed up the recovery process, but you need to take it easy by lowering the intensity of your fitness sessions. If your pain is too severe or lasts longer than a couple of days following your workout, you may have suffered an injury and need to seek professional assistance in order to find the cause of the pain and determine the best way to treat the pain at its source to avoid further injury. Alternatively, if the pain is simply from overworking your body, a chiropractor clinic like First Chiropractic, may be able to help relieve some of the pain.