Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS as you will sometimes hear exercisers refer to it is the soreness you sometimes feel in your muscles after exercise. It often occurs after doing an unfamiliar exercise or working at a higher intensity than usual causing tiny tears in the fibre of the muscle. It can be more commonly, though not exclusively related to loaded exercises e.g. working with increased weights and comes on about 24-48 hours after exercise.
There is nothing wrong with this soreness, it is just a sign that the muscle is getting stronger. Ice, heat and stretching will alleviate the pain. Elite athletes may take an ice bath!! A warm bath will also help, with an ice pack on the sore area to offer relief. Stretching after exercise is also very important in preventing or reducing DOMS, general flexibility will also reduce the chance of developing DOMS.
Remember though if there is any muscle pain rather than soreness this could be an injury and the exercise should be stopped and will need a period of rest.
When is the best time of day to exercise?
There are a number of opinions about when is the best time to exercise. Some exponents of early morning exercise suggest that there are more calories burned if exercise is taken early in the day. However the evidence for this is not reliable, but there is some evidence that the time of day can influence how you feel when exercising, which can in turn determine how successful you will be in establishing a consistent exercise habit.
An awareness of your body's natural daily rhythm or circadian rhythm can help, but this still does not allow for the impact of work and family life on developing the exercise habit. One good reason for exercising early may simply be practical, before the activities of the day squeeze out the time to exercise. With research showing that, in terms of developing a consistent exercise habit, those who exercise in the morning were more successful.
If you do decide to exercise early morning there are a few things to remember. Warm up well as body temperature is lower than later in the day and try to take a light, easily absorbed snack so you can get the most from your workout.
Likewise if lunchtime is best for your body and lifestyle, have a snack an hour or so before hand and have lunch after the workout.
Exercising too late can cause a rise in body temperature and heart rate which may, like eating too late in the day, have an impact on sleep patterns.
The main aim is to find a time of day that suits you so daily/regular exercise becomes as natural as breathing.