Feature of the Month
Recover, Recharge, Repeat: How to Help Your Sore Muscles Bounce Back After Summer Activities
Summer’s warm weather and freewheeling days make it a wonderful time for movement. Hiking, swimming, or even just tackling a weekend gardening project are all great ways to get outside and enjoy the season.
But for some, all that movement can lead to lingering stiffness and soreness, especially if you’re not typically active. And while you may have had a great time exploring that local nature trail or spending an afternoon in the park, aching muscles can dampen the experience.
Fortunately, the multidisciplinary team at Ace Physique is here to guide you through some of our favourite strategies to help your muscles recover more efficiently after activity.
1. Hydrate More Than You Think You Need
Muscles need water to recover, especially in the summer heat. Even mild dehydration can make muscle soreness worse and prolong fatigue. Drink consistently throughout the day, not just when you feel thirsty, and try to eat your hydration with water-rich foods like melon or cucumber.
How We Can Help
Post-activity massage therapy can improve circulation and lymphatic drainage, helping reduce fluid retention.
2. Stretch With Purpose
Gentle stretching helps reduce muscle tightness and maintain mobility for easier movement, but overstretching can cause more harm than good.
When you stretch, use slow, controlled movements and focus on the muscle groups involved in your activity. For example, stretch your lower body if you’re going hiking. If you’re gardening, warm up your arms and shoulders.
How We Can Help
Our physiotherapists can assess your movement and tailor safe stretching techniques that reduce stiffness without straining healing tissue.
3. Use Hot and Cold Therapy
If your soreness is really bothering you, alternating between warm and cool treatments helps manage inflammation and support tissue repair.
Cold compresses reduce swelling and dull pain in the first 24–48 hours, while heat can relax tight muscles and improve blood flow. Try switching back and forth for stubborn soreness.
How We Can Help
If intense soreness persists, consider working with one of our chiropractors or physiotherapists. They can adjust your posture and improve your overall movement quality.
4. Get Moving (But Take It Slow)
If you’re really suffering, complete rest may seem appealing. However, light movement is often more effective in managing post-activity soreness. Try walking, gentle cycling, or water-based exercises, but avoid high-impact activities until your soreness subsides.
How We Can Help
Need an extra dose of pain relief? Acupuncture can help reduce pain signals. In fact, many of our patients report relief from soreness and muscle fatigue within hours of a session.
5. Don’t Ignore Lingering Pain
If you’re dealing with soreness that lasts more than a few days, worsens with movement, or limits your function, it’s time to schedule an appointment with Ace Physique. Run-of-the-mill soreness fades on its own, so persistent pain may signal an injury. Fortunately, our team can help you address it so you don’t develop any complications.
How We Can Help
- Physiotherapy focuses on improving function and relieving pain through personalized care plans. We’ll assess how your body moves, identify what’s not working well, and provide a comprehensive program to address it.
- Massage therapy uses various techniques to improve circulation, ease muscle tightness, and support recovery.
- Acupuncture stimulates specific points in the body with thin needles to promote healing and reduce pain.
- Chiropractic care supports recovery by addressing joint restrictions, especially in the spine, hips, and shoulders, all areas commonly affected by summer activities.
Need Help Battling Soreness? Our Team Is Standing By
Feeling sore after being active is normal, but staying sore isn’t something you have to live with. Simple strategies like hydration, movement, and targeted therapies can help your muscles feel better so you can jump into summer fun once again.
If you’ve had an active summer and your body’s feeling it, reach out to Ace Physique to schedule your initial appointment today.
More to Explore
Are You Overtraining? Signs Your Body Needs a Break
Pushing yourself during workouts can definitely be rewarding. But doing too much without enough rest can lead to overtraining, decreasing your performance while increasing your risk of injury. Worse, it often shows up before you realize there’s a problem.
Here are some of the key signs your body may be asking you to slow down:
1. Lingering Muscle Soreness
If soreness lasts more than 72 hours, it could indicate your muscles haven’t had enough time to recover. This constant strain can lead to inflammation and tissue breakdown.
2. Trouble Sleeping
Overtraining can throw off hormone levels that regulate sleep. You might have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, even when you’re physically tired.
3. Nagging Aches and Pains
Frequent strains, joint pain, or sharp discomfort could mean you’re not recovering between workouts. These signs often stem from micro-tears that require targeted therapy to heal.
4. Plateaued or Declining Performance
You’re training hard, but your speed, strength, or endurance feels stuck. Fatigue may be the problem, not a lack of effort.
5. Mood Changes or Lack of Motivation
Irritability, fatigue, or sudden disinterest in exercise can signal physical overload, which is often linked to mental burnout.
Ace Physique Is Here To Help
The good news? Our team of physiotherapists, massage therapists, chiropractors, and acupuncturists works together to treat overtraining symptoms at the source. No matter your needs, we’ll develop a comprehensive care plan to help you return to your training routine.
Feel like you’ve hit a wall? Let’s help you recover in a way that works for you. Schedule your appointment today!
Exercise of the Month
TOWEL PULL
The Towel Pull exercise is a gentle neck stretch where you loop a towel around the base of your neck, holding one end in each hand. While keeping your spine straight, apply slight upward pressure with the towel as you slowly lean your head back to stretch the front of your neck.
Service Highlight
Sports Massage Therapy
Because Sore Shouldn’t Be the Goal
Whether you’re training for a race, hitting the gym regularly, or just love staying active, your body takes on a lot. At Ace Physique, our Sports Massage Therapy is designed to keep you moving at your best by addressing muscle tightness, improving flexibility, and reducing your risk of injury.
Unlike general relaxation massage, sports massage is tailored to support physical performance and recovery. It targets specific muscle groups based on your activity level and goals, and works alongside your physiotherapy plan for even better results.
Sports massage can help with:
- Muscle recovery after workouts or competition
- Improving flexibility and range of motion
- Reducing muscle soreness and fatigue
- Preventing injuries through proactive care
- Treating overuse and soft tissue strain
Depending on your needs, your session may include deep tissue work, stretching, myofascial release, or pre- and post-activity techniques to get your body ready and help it recover faster.
Want to move better, recover quicker, and stay ahead of injuries? Book your Sports Massage Therapy session today. Call our Calgary clinic or click the button below to schedule an appointment and take your performance to the next level.
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Seasonal Tips
8 Nutrition Tips for A Healthy Summer
Summer weekends at the beach, backyard barbecues, and outdoor dinners are finally here, but these gatherings are often loaded with high-calorie pasta salads, chips, ice cream, cocktails and beers. Enjoy your warm-weather favorites while keeping your nutrition in check with the tips below.
1. Drink green tea instead of sweet tea. Green tea has a natural component that helps speed up your metabolism. Skip the box tea and opt for the brew-it-yourself with boiling water and a tea bag-type tea.
2. Serve seafood. Summer is the ideal time to get the freshest catch from your local grocer. Grill salmon, tuna, lobster, steamer clams, and calamari for a low-calorie, protein-packed lunch or dinner.
3. Don’t skip breakfast. When you wake up in the morning, your body is running on fumes. Eating a breakfast with protein, carbs, and healthy fat kicks your metabolism into high gear and provides energy for the day.
4. Enjoy summer fruits and veggies. It’s easy to sink into a vegetable rut, eating the same boring veggies week after week, but with summer comes fresh choices. Including a mix of in-season colorful veggies in your meals gives your body a nutrient kick.
5. Snack at work. Bring snacks to work and graze throughout the day. When you eat more often—five to six times per day—you’re far less likely to overeat and more likely to stay energized.
6. Hydrate often. The summer heat makes you more susceptible to dehydration. Start off your day by drinking two glasses of water and keep drinking at each meal, as well as before and after your workout, to stay hydrated. Carry a water bottle with you as a reminder to stay hydrated.
7. Recover with a post-workout shake. After exercising, blend your favorite summer fruits and a scoop of whey protein into a shake to kickstart the muscle-building process, help your body recover from training, and boost your energy levels.
8. Pre-plan your meals. You plan your weekend getaways and activities for summer. Why not your meals? Make it easy by preparing all of your food on Sunday so that you have enough meals for the week. The best part: You’ll save money.
August Word Scramble
laatrioenx
kbaracyd
mrmesu
aicgmnp
aryopunldg
fosrnwlue
Answer Key
relaxation
backyard
summer
camping
playground
sunflower
Patient Testimonial
What Our Patients Are Saying
“Good vibes. Wonderful service. Quiet. Relaxing therapy.
Got my back muscle ache relieved.
Excellent reception interaction.”
-Filma C.
Ace Referral Program
We believe that great things should be shared! That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Ace Referral Rewards Program, designed exclusively for our valued clients like you!
Invite a friend or family member to join us, and both of you will get $40 off! Your friend will receive $40 off their first visit, and once they come in, you’ll get $40 off your next visit as a thank you.
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