managing muscle soreness 101

Muscle soreness effects the person that just started exercising yesterday just the same as it can a person who's been exercising for years. Managing soreness takes some basic self-care measures.
First off, you MUST warm up before you exercise. You should be sweating before your start your actual work out. Your warm up should start out with pretty low intensity moves at first and work your way up towards more intensity. 
Second, stretch at the END of your work out, not the beginning. Stretching can cause joint laxity and can actually end up making it easier for you to injure yourself during your workout. 
Next, make sure you're drinking water. Drink enough so that you feel like you're constantly having to go to the bathroom. Or, a good rule of thumb is to drink as many ounces of water as your body weight in kilograms.  (lbs/2.2=kg)
One of my most favorite ways to help with muscle soreness is by using a foam roller. There are plenty of videos online to show you how to use a foam roller. Start with gentle foam rolling and then you can move to the more advanced foam rolling techniques. 
Did you know that rest days are actually very important for muscle recovery? Your muscle soreness is actually caused by a build up of lactic acid combined with very small tears in your muscles that result from exercise. When your body repairs these small tears your muscles grow and get stronger.  Giving your body time without stressing your muscles further during rest days will allow your muscles to completely heal and also allow your body to get rid of the lactic acid (if you're drinking plenty of water). 
Last but certainly not least, your diet also plays a big role in how your body can heal itself after exercise and how easily it can deal with the lactic acid build-up. You should be eating 18 servings of raw fruits and vegetables if you're working out on a regular basis!!! All of these nutrients help your body do its' job of healing even better.