Curing a Workout Hangover

Confession: I used to drink a lot (shocker, right?!)  and I always believed that the best cure for a hangover was "the hair of the dog that bit ya". (Who is familiar with that expression? It's okay to be honest, no judgement here! ;)

Now, I workout a lot and some mornings I wake up and think "man, I need a drink!"

Don't get me wrong, I do love that feeling, you know where you feel so sore you don't want to move, much less think about hitting the gym... again! Its like confirmation that I did hard work and my muscles are responding and I'm getting stronger. What I hate about it is when you've laid there so long you can't wait another second to get to the bathroom and "ooowwoowwweee, squatting hurts" (guys, you don't understand this, but believe me its true). Ok, I wanted to make this blog more personal, but maybe I crossed the line here :/ 


Anyway, what's best when you wake up with the workout hangover?  


Is it the hair of the dog that bit ya?

Here's the trick: get up and get moving! Yes, go back to the gym! Don't tax the same muscles again the very next day.  Plan your workouts so you aren't working the same muscle groups every day but are rotating them, working through the whole body over 4-5 days.

I'm using Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer and she's very smart about working you hard but with balance.  For instance in Week 1 she splits it up like this:

Day 1 - Chest and Triceps
Day 2 - Back and Biceps
Day 3 - Legs and Calves
Day 4 - Shoulders and Abs

So, even if you wake up sore on Day 2 or 3, you can still workout without any added strain on Day 1's muscle group.

So, basically, the cure is just the hair of a different dog!

P.S. I also recommend a shot of SPN Recovery and an SPN Rehydration Drink after workouts to help minimize the workout hangover.  I hear both are great for preventing real hangovers too!