Regular exercise can benefit Americans in many different ways; that is a fact. An exercise routine or regime helps men and women maintain a healthy weight, regular exercise decreases risks of serious health problems (including heart disease!), and it can even have therapeutic effects and improve your mood to boot. There is a right way to exercise and a wrong way to exercise, however. Exercising the wrong way can leave you with sore muscles and nagging — sometimes even debilitating — pain.

Prevent Pain Before It Happens

Exercising can result in all kinds of aches and pains, from muscle pain, like lower neck muscle pain, to lower right back pain. Gym-goers and Americans who exercise at home can prevent sore muscles and back pain simply by warming up and stretching. A 10 to 15 minute walk, or some warm-up exercises to gradually warm up your muscles, prepares the body for exercise and can prevent critical injury. If you’re going to stretch, do it after your warm up. This will lengthen and loosen tight muscles, all while protecting you from strain or injury.

The Best Way To Soothe Sore Muscles

Sometimes, injuries and sore muscles just happen. People just don’t stretch or warm up properly, people use poor form, people have accidents.. and the list goes on. If you are experiencing muscle soreness or pain, one of the best ways to treat it is to use a patch for pain. A typical patch for pain uses heat therapy. Heat therapy, in turn, works by improving blood flow to sore muscles or areas, which ultimately speeds up recovery.

Don’t Be Afraid To Pamper Yourself A Little

Over the past few years, people have been 35% more likely to get hurt at the gym — and 76 million Americans (from gym injuries, fitness-related injuries, and daily life) experience at least some pain every single day. A professional massage can provide instant relief. Similarly, a foam roller enables people to ease muscles and massage sore muscles and limbs on their own.

Staying active, healthy, and pain-free is more than possible. For the least painful and most effective workouts, warm up muscles, stretch, use a foam roller when necessary, and treat sore muscles with patches and heat therapy for a fast and speedy recovery.