Tiger Balm: Best relief for exercise after-effects

MANILA, Philippines - Medical science has conclusively maintained the importance of exercise as integral to health and long life. The human body, to generate energy like a dynamo, needs some regular winding. And like a well-oiled machine, its parts have to loosen up to mechanically function well.

These days, a new wave of health-consciousness has caught up with Pinoys. A great number are devoting ample time in gyms to pump iron, getting some roadwork through running or walking, engaging in competitive sports, or just doing basic workouts at home.

However simple or strenuous, physical activity has become a must for Filipinos, regardless if they start out early or during midlife.

Engaging in exercising at the initial instance is exciting for newbies. The eagerness to work up a sweat and get into the groove of things is enough to fuel a first-timer to break in into being a busy body. Until such time the muscles and joints, once functioning in normal pace and pressure, now feel the brunt of the extra force and exertion they once were not used to.

Usually, it’s the morning after that the aches and pains manifest themselves. Suddenly, sitting down or standing up becomes an ordeal for a bad back. Climbing stairs takes longer than usual, no thanks to throbbing legs. And reaching and raising out those arms proves to be too difficult to execute because of a sore shoulder.

The medical term for such is delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. A McClatchy-Tribune article describes this as a “result of microscopic tears to muscle fibers that occur when you run faster, lunge deeper, crunch harder or lift more than the usual.” It says that the damage ignites an inflammatory response as the muscle repairs itself, causing pain that peaks two to four days after the activity, then disappears within about a week.

The same write-up also claims that “too much soreness can be counterproductive, because the longer it takes for muscles to rebuild, the longer (the) wait to resume workouts,” and that “extreme soreness can be dangerous.”

Some pieces of advice were put forward to alleviate this kind of a setback:

• Stay hydrated;

• Get temporary relief such as a massage or a warm bath, and take antioxidants; and

• Eat foods with protein and sugar.

The resulting pain and soreness are initial trade-offs often experienced by entry-level exercisers. But those who realize the long-terms benefits of working out a sweat know better, as these are only transitory ticks that shouldn’t overturn the health benefits derived from exercising.

There are countless medications available in the market to counter the effects of breaking into the exercising habit. While popping a pill might be the recourse that immediately comes to mind, it can be wise to seek a more natural way to relieve the pain. Those who know better and want to rise above the aches of their first forays of exercising have an ally in Tiger Balm.