After a challenging workout, it’s essential to give your muscles time to rest and recover. This is especially true if you’re new to working out or have increased the intensity of your exercise routine. Recovery is the time when your muscles repair and grow stronger, so it’s crucial to prioritize it in your fitness routine. Today I want to explain the importance of proper nutrition after exercise, hydration before and after exercise, massage and other forms of manual therapy that can help speed up recovery time—plus many more tips on how to take care of yourself while staying active!
Stretch and cool down.
Stretching is an integral part of any workout routine, but it’s also a great way to recover from one. Stretching helps reduce muscle soreness by increasing blood flow and relaxing the muscles. Additionally, stretching improves performance by increasing flexibility and the range of motion.
Stretching after a workout is recommended because it allows the body time to cool down before going into static stretches–this reduces the risk of injury or overstretching during static stretching. It’s important to perform more dynamic stretching before exercise and static stretching post-exercise.
Proper nutrition.
Proper nutrition is the foundation of any exercise program. It goes hand and hand. You need to consume enough calories and nutrients to fuel your body, repair damaged tissue, and build muscle mass. If you’re not eating enough food during the day, then your body will not have enough energy for proper recovery after workouts.
Most people do not get enough protein. Protein is what helps to build and repair muscles in the body. Focus on getting proper amounts of protein for your body. Depending on activity level you should aim for 1-2g protein per kg of bodyweight or .5-.9g per pound of bodyweight.
Hydration.
Drinking water is vital to body function. I wake up and the first thing I do is have 12 ounces of water. When you exercise, your body loses fluids through sweat, and it’s important to replace them to avoid dehydration. Drinking water and electrolyte drinks can help replenish the fluids and minerals your body needs to recover.
Sleep.
Sleep is one of the most important factors in recovery. You can’t expect to perform well if you don’t get enough sleep every night, and even if you do get enough rest, it’s still important to use strategies that help improve quality of sleep so that your body will recover from workouts as quickly as possible.
The amount of time necessary for adequate recovery varies by person–some people need only five hours per night while others might require nine or ten–but most experts recommend between seven and nine hours for adults aged 18-64 years old.[1] This age range includes most gym-goers who are looking to build muscle or lose fat. If this sounds like you, then make sure that at least seven hours passes between going to bed and waking up each morning (and yes: this includes weekends).
Massage.
Massage is a great way to release tension and stress, which can help you feel less sore after your workout. You can also use massage as part of your recovery strategy before or after a workout if you’re feeling particularly sore. Massage helps stimulate circulation, which will speed up the removal of lactic acid from your muscles so they recover faster.
In house, we use Trigger on Spot for all massage needs. If you don’t have time in your schedule to mee with an expert, but still want some relief from soreness and tightness after exercise then try rolling out specific areas with either: 1) A foam roller 2) Tennis ball or you can use a massage gun. We have one in house as well!
Recovery strategies are important!
Recovery is an essential part of any exercise routine. By prioritizing stretching, hydration, nutrition, rest and sleep, and self-care techniques, you can help your muscles recover faster and become stronger over time. Remember to listen to your body and give it the time and care it needs to recover properly.
