Ladies who have been with me for some time will have heard me go on about DOMS many many times before.  However for those of you who have not heard of this expression, its stands for ‘delayed onset muscle soreness’.  So have you felt sore after starting a new exercise or pushing yourself harder than usual during a workout? The muscle pain usually appears a day or two after the exercise and can affect anyone.  I actually like the pain and feel its something to be proud of… then again I can be a bit strange at times :)…

DOMS typically lasts between 3 and 5 days and can range from mild to severe.  Walking down the stairs or getting up and down from a seat can be enough to trigger to pain if you have been working on the bum and leg area. So what is the best way to treat Doms….? There is no right or wrong answer on this one, but I can tell you what does help me.  Depending on the severity of the pain, you can use ice packs, get a massage or a warm epsom salt bath works for me.  If the pain is a bit more severe you can take some over the counter pain killers but I would try to ease the pain more naturally if possible.  Believe it or not the best cure i find is to do some more moderate exercise and drink plenty of water.  Quite often ladies from my Saturday class will complain of DOMS on the Monday night, and after the Dancefit class they feel so much better. If you cant get to class then take a brisk walk and get out in the fresh air.  The worst thing you can do is keep still, as this will only encourage the area to become stiff and you will find it more difficult to do day to day tasks easily, without pain.

Remember DOMS can affect anyone including athletes, so be proud of the pain and remember it means you have pushed yourself and you  will see results.

Bev x