By now, that New Year's exercise resolution has probably rewarded you with more than a few sore muscles. Recovery from the aches can be helped by commonsense techniques like eating healthfully and sleeping six to eight hours a night, but there are a few other do's and some don'ts.

The do's

Drink water before and after your workout. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 2 to 3 cups of water two to three hours before a workout, at least half a cup every 15 minutes during the workout, and 2 to 3 more cups afterward for each pound of lost fluids. If you exercised for more than 60 minutes, a sports drink can help replace lost electrolytes; otherwise water is best.

Use ice, not heat, to soothe sore muscles, at least at first. Ice will numb the pain quickly and reduce swelling or intramuscular bleeding. After a few days, heat can be useful in bringing more blood and nutrients to the sore area, aiding the healing process.

The don'ts

Don't sharply restrict your calories. After holiday indulgences, it's tempting to go to the other extreme and cut calories way back, but Wendy Fortino, personal trainer and coordinator of fitness programs at Stanford, doesn't recommend it. Fortino recommends easing off the junk food and replacing processed foods that have added sugars and salts with fresh produce and whole grains.

Be careful with ibuprofen. This over-the-counter painkiller, often sold as Advil, is safe for many types of pain relief, but recent research suggests that it doesn't help athletes' muscles recover faster and may actually be harming their kidneys and digestive organs. More research is needed, but doctors involved in the study recommend rest and ice as less risky and more helpful forms of recovery.