What are my options to reduce muscle fatigue?
 

I am very physically active and I was wondering what options I have to reduce muscle fatigue after heavy use. I understand that getting the proper amount of sleep and proper stretching help, but are there any solutions that aren't simply do less?

Are there certain foods that can help with this, or are there any other things I can do to help myself out here? I would really like to find a solution to being sore every damn day. :D

Best tip I can give is to be sure you eat immediately following a workout. Something balanced, with protein, carbs, and fats.

I have a whey protein drink as soon as I get home, along with some juice, a sandwich or some pita and dip, or some leftover chicken if it's in the fridge.

In a window of a few hours after a workout, if your muscles are fed, they will repair much faster than if you go 4 or 5 hours before eating again.

Be sure you're getting a good variety of foods and nutrients. i.e. fish once or twice a week, leafy green vegetables often, nuts and beans..

Other than that, be sure you're taking a daily multivitamin, and never go more than 3 hours without a meal or snack.

Lots of protein, water, omega 3's, general multivitamins and glucosamine.

Mix with the odd warm bath for best effects.

Protein and water are the best two things to help with fatigued and damaged tissue, combined with REST. And yes, as seizei said, it's all about getting plenty of nutrients and all that, you need everything to operate, especially if you've been stressing your muscles.

You have about 45 minutes max to refuel the muscles... in a 4-1 ratio of carbs to protein. B complex vitamins also help. Nothing beats rest and your body is probably telling you that - if you'll ony listen.

The disconcerting comment you made is that you are tired of being sore every day. That speaks to overworking. Not a good thing unless you are being paid and have some great trainers to take care of you. Sounds like you might need to re-assess your goals????

Or it sounds like I need to eat more green leafy veggies (*barf*), since I don't eat any. I was sort of hoping the multivitimans would give me whatever I needed from those that I couldn't get from the other healthy foods I eat.

have you heard of GAKIC ,MUSCLETECH have come up with this ,it's the only supplement I've used that worked from the get go,it reduces fatigue & up's your strength by about 10% might not sound like alot evbery little bit helps.

Well, I am prone to exaggeration. I'm not ALWAYS tired, but I work about 30 hours a week for FedEx Ground, I do some MMA training, I play 2-4 softball games a week, and I do about 75 push-ups and 75 sit-ups a day, so I am in constant use of my body. I'm wondering if I can take care of myself better in some way in order to be less sore.

Stretch before, during, after and before you go to bed and then when you wake up. It might sound like alot and it can be easily forgotten but when I stretch all the time like that I dont get sore at all. But when I forget to stretch I am in serious pain.

Massage can help to reduce the ATP buildup in the muscles. I personally recommend the deep tissue variety, versus the lighter, feel-good Swedish style. Give it a try at least!

Stretching is good, especially after you are warmed up. I actually have read a few things lately that say you should wait and stretch after lifting; the warm up stage of lifting a light weight gets you stretched.

I also think it's important to rest between days of muscle stress. So, it might help to do a bunch of crunches one day and then a bunch of push ups another day but not on consecutive days.

Finally, supplements will never take the place of eating right. Also, toxins slow you down as your body slows its metabolism to allow those toxins to leave the cells. Your metabolism will be much higher if you don't force your body into extra waste removal. That means the more organic you eat the better as the stuff that isn't organic can have a lot of pesticides and other things you just don't need.

I try and conscript massages as much as I can already. I'm kind of a whore for them... hell, they are listed in my "interests" in my profile. Any other comments?

Dude. You need professional massage therapy, not just the laying on of hands of gals who can't keep them off ya. :rolleyes: :lol:

But I can only afford to pay in sexual favors. :(

Ginseng helps with fatigue for me. I try not to use it every day as it's kinda expensive but it really works.

Could you elaborate on that please?

The sooner you eat protein after you finish your hard workout, the quicker you will recover. Muscles heal from a hard workout when amino acids and other nutrients travel from your bloodstream into the muscles. Eating food, particularly protein, immediately after you finish your workout helps muscles heal faster.