Every year, about two-thirds of Americans resolve to get fit or lose weight. Unfortunately, 73 percent give up within six weeks, according to a survey by Harris Interactive. While time and commitment are often to blame, many fitness experts suggest sore and fatigued muscles have a lot to do with why we lose steam in a new routine.
"Muscles go through quite a bit of physical stress when we exercise," says Rick Sharp, professor of exercise physiology at Iowa State University in Ames and contributor to WebMD.com. "Mild soreness is just a natural outcome of any kind of physical activity. And they're most prevalent in beginning stages of a program."
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