Prevent soreness and injuries with stretching

There's nothing worse than a bad case of the "muscle hangover" the day after a good workout. You've pushed your muscles to the limit with a 2-hour run, or 4-hour bike ride, an intense swim interval session, or a brutal weight workout, and now you're paying the price.

But here's the thing...you don't have to suffer through brutal, debilitating muscles soreness the day after a long or intense workout. You can prevent much of the soreness—as well as injuries—with as little as 10 minutes of mild stretching after your workout or competition.

Here's what's happening...long or intense workouts will naturally cause microscopic tears in your muscles. This is normal and when it gets severe, it's called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS.)

DOMS is known informally as the dreaded "two-day lag", which means that oftentimes you're more sore two days after a hard workout or competition than you were the day after. For marathoners who race on Sundays, this means you feel the sorest on Tuesday.

Muscle soreness doesn't sound serious, but if you've ever experienced severe DOMS, you've probably had trouble walking or performing your daily activities. It may have even interfered with your work.

To prevent debilitating soreness and possible injuries, follow these simple steps immediately after your workout or competition:

• Spend at least 10 minutes stretching.
• Make sure you use static stretches that last for at least 10 seconds.
• Consume a recovery drink made from EnergyFirst ProEnergy Whey Isolate Protein Powder for quick protein replenishment.
• After stretching, get into cold water or a cold shower and immerse the muscles you worked for at least a few minutes to contract the muscles and flush out waste products.

Another tip for preventing soreness is to take a scoop of EnergyFirst ProEnergy Whey Isolate Protein Powder in 4-6 ounces of lukewarm water right before you go to bed. This helps to improve your sleep and to rebuild your muscles stronger and better.

Can you actually get injured if you don't stretch? You can, indeed. Running shortens muscles, and if you don't stretch, over time your muscles become shortened, and thus, any little stretch will overextend them and can lead to a serious muscle strain or tear.

In summary, you need to make sure you stretch out well after a workout, and take a protein power such as EnergyFirst ProEnergy Whey Isolate Protein Powder at night and immediately after workouts.