If you start exercising regularly after a long break, is there anything that can be beneficial to boost the body with?
We asked our biomedical expert Erik to answer one of the many questions we have received through our Q&A on social media. Erik is both a certified strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer and has, over the years, helped hundreds of clients, amateurs as well as professionals, with training-related goals:
- When the muscles are not accustomed to working hard, muscle soreness and stiffness will become more noticeable and disruptive for a period of time before the body has adapted. If you push too hard at that stage, it is not uncommon to get somewhat out of sync and perhaps be forced to cancel training sessions or make changes to your training plan. To reduce muscle soreness at this stage, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or aspirin are sometimes used and taken in connection with the training session. However, natural supplements with similar mechanisms can also be used, for example concentrated Curcumin.
In any case, this is only a temporary solution. The most important thing, as I see it, is instead to provide the body with adequate amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Protein synthesis will be greatly increased, which increases the need for good protein sources that contain high levels of the essential amino acids. Zinc is also an important mineral for maintaining normal protein synthesis, and it is a mineral that is otherwise lost through sweat, so the risk of zinc deficiency is higher if you engage in exercise that causes you to sweat a lot.
Otherwise, it is common for physically active people to ensure their intake by taking a low-dose multivitamin, at least to ensure the reference intake of the 13 vitamins. The reference intake for a vitamin is generally lower than the recommended intake, but the aim is then for a varied diet to provide the remaining amounts in order to also ensure the recommended intake as a physically active person.
