Those flu-like symptoms after exercise aren’t all in your head.

Here’s what science has to say.

That bittersweet hurts-like-hell experience is called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short.

Is Your Really-Freaking-Hard Workout Making You Sick?

It’s like your body is poisoning itself to punish you for putting it through such a tough workout.

But is that arealthing?

Can youreallybe so sore that you have flu-like symptoms after exercise?

(Here are just a few benefits of recovery, plus how to make the most of it.)