We need 'em but they take maintenance. Exercise in one form or another helps enormously. So does stretching the muscle. Many sources say it is best to stretch for 15 or more seconds but it may still help to stretch at all, for however long.
I get muscle cramps, often alleviated by stretching but magnesium helps too. I have recurrent periods when my calves cramp but my feet, thighs and hand muscles also have their troubles. My chiropractor said that most common reason he knows for cramping is dehydration. I think overuse can also be related.
Books by Peggy Brill and Heidi Shink have been helpful in suggesting exercises and stretches that help muscle strength and health. Brill has a 15 minute or so routine and Shink has one for three minutes.
Research holds that seriously tensing a muscle for 6 continuous seconds can build strength in that muscle. Not all muscles can be used with weights but tensing and resistance bands are helpful, silent and inexpensive. Progressive tensing and relaxing each set of muscles from the feet to the scalp can remind you of all the parts of your body and help you relax muscles that should not be tense. "Storing" tension in your shoulders or brow or some place is very common and finding it and relaxing those muscles can lead to less pain. I read about 30 years ago that inappropriate muscle tension is a major factor in hampering athletic or other physical performance. Every muscle has an opposing muscle and if it is tense, the muscle has an extra load that interferes with performance.
I find the physical therapist Brill's "Instant Relief" especially helpful because she arranges the exercises in order of the most commonly needed stretches that answer the most common problems. In this day of keyboarding and driving and television viewing, her clients show the types of problems that aging and sedentary bodies need help with.
