A common workout myth is that it's good to feel sore afterwards. What it really means is that you did too much too soon. Many of us who are eager to lose weight or get our bodies back in shape can fall into this trap of working out too hard.

Have you previously thought that feeling sore the next day after a workout was a good thing?

How do you pace yourself when doing a new exercise routine or while strength training so that you don't push it too hard?

I think there's a difference between feeling a little bit sore, such as feeling muscles you haven't used in some time, and being so sore it hurts to move. Some muscle soreness is actually expected when you try a new activity or increase the weights on a specific exercise. The key is to progress very slowly and gradually.

Sometimes it can help decrease muscle soreness if we make sure we stretch after exercise, and then do some easy and gentle stretches the next day as well.