Let’s set the scene, it’s your first exercise session in a while, or you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone and tried something new. The next day, lowering yourself down onto the loo is utter torture! Welcome to the wonderful world of DOMS, aka Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. DOMS is no joke – laughing at something is agony, walking downstairs takes forever & moving your arms is practically impossible. You’re left wondering if you’ve injured yourself, if exercise is actually good for you and when the heck it’s going stop!

Rest assured, it is all completely normal, particularly if you’re new to exercise. The culprits are tiny microscopic tears in your muscle fibres caused by physical exercise. Your body responds to this by increasing inflammation as part of the muscle repair process. This inflammation is thought to be responsible for DOMS. Whilst this sounds a bit grim, microscopic muscle tears are actually a good thing, they promote muscle growth which results in you becoming stronger. Essentially, you have to break muscle down and then build it back up stronger!

Whilst DOMS sadly just needs to run its course, there are a few things you can do to reduce the severity in its 24-to-72-hour presence.

First, stay hydrated. Dehydration during or post exercise can increase muscle soreness so it’s important to drink plenty of fluids during and after your workout. Water or milk are your best bets for post workout hydration, avoid sugary drinks, alcohol and caffeine which can increase dehydration.

Second, take a warm bath. Warmth, a few hours after exercise, will boost blood circulation, which means more oxygen and nutrients are transported to your muscles, speeding up their repair. For extra pain relief, add Epsom bath salts to the water. The magnesium in the solution is absorbed through your skin, helping to reduce soreness and improve muscle function.

Third, and probably the last thing you feel like doing, is movement. Active recovery can dramatically reduce the amount of muscle soreness you experience. Light exercise will help to stretch your muscles, opening up muscle fibres to allow more blood and oxygen in to repair the muscle tissue and provide pain relief. Walking, gentle yoga or 10 minutes of stretching are perfect, they may be painful to start but after a few minutes the circulation boost and warmth to your muscles will relieve tightness and ease pain.

Finally, take comfort in the knowledge that severe DOMS will only happen after your first few sessions of new exercise. Your body will adjust and those repeated microscopic muscle tears will result in a stronger, fitter you. You’ve just got to stick at it and take the temporary discomfort on the chin. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!