A muscle cramp is a strong, painful contraction or tightening of a muscle that comes on suddenly and lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. It often occurs in the legs. You get painful muscle cramps after long periods of exercises, particularly in hot weather. Burn Gym, the best fitness club in Chandigarh brings you self-care measures to treat muscle cramps at home:

·        Remain Hydrated

Drink plenty of water every day to prevent muscle cramps. Fluids help your muscles contract and relax and keep your muscle cells hydrated. Drink water at regular intervals during and after exercise to ensure that your body is replenishing the fluids.

·        Stretching

Running on a treadmill just the moment after you enter the gym can cause you more damage than gain. Always stretch your body before you start working out and after you have completed it. You can stretch your muscles before bedtime; this will help your muscles relax when you are sleeping.

·        Massage

If you do not feel relaxed even after stretching, you can go for a sports massage. It can help to relax very sore muscles and soothe muscle aches.

·        Warm Water Bath

A warm water bath helps you loosen tight muscles and improve blood circulation. It provides temporary relief from sore muscles.

·        Rest

Take a day off from exercise and let your body recover from the sore muscles. If you don’t want to take the day off, alternatively, you can go for light exercise so that your muscles get the time to recover from soreness.

·        Take Carbohydrate-Rich Diet

Depletion of carbohydrates also leads to muscle cramps. There is an ample amount of carbohydrates stored inside our body as glycogen. When we exercise, our body uses glycogen for energy. Once the glycogen level is exhausted, we are vulnerable to muscle cramps. That is why it is important for you to include carbohydrates in your diet.

Besides these measures, you can apply sports cream or anti-inflammatory medicines. Burn Gym, best gym in Mohali strongly suggests you should consult a doctor in case of prolonged pain; it happens frequently, cramps don’t improve with self-care.