Performing strenuous exercise (tennis, squash, lifting weights, spinning etc) causes small tears and micro damage to your muscles. Over the subsequent hours and days your body works to repair this damage. The repair process results in your muscles becoming stronger.
This repair process can be accompanied by muscle soreness. Here are three dietary suggestions for you to try that will assist in your recovery and reduce any soreness in the muscles:
- Protein and amino acids are required to give the body the building blocks it needs to start the repair process. Within 15 minutes of finishing any strenuous exercise, try and enjoy a protein shake or a protein bar.
- Muscle soreness (inflammation) can be reduced by adding good quality anti-inflammatory foods to your diet. These include:
- turmeric
- fenugreek
- garlic
- ginger
- omega 3 oils
- Reducing the risk of tissue damage during strenuous exercise can be achieved by increasing your intake of the following:
- watermelon
- berries
- watercress
- dark chocolate
- tomatoes