We are all getting back into the swing of things and trying to get our lives and bodies back. I know me personally am working out so much harder than I have in the last few years and now recovery is becoming so crucial to my “comeback”. I naturally worked recovery into my days when I was on a scheduled work out program years ago and it made such a difference in my results and my mood. Most people that are on a new workout journey don’t really understand how important it is to “recover” and usually run out of gas and give up on their goals. So for the month of May I want to focus on Recovery so people can understand what it is, why its important and how to do it properly. Featured will be an interview with two of my favorite people Tyler and Josue. They will share their workout journey and how they keep a fun and upbeat attitude along the way. Of course a round up of different Podcast that give in-depth information on Performance Recovery from experts. Also lots of information on supplements, food and methods to Recovery. Hopefully this series will give you lots of information and make your “Covid Come Back” successful and lasting.

So lets start with what is Recovery?

Recovery is the act of rest from exercise in the most simplest definition. The body repairs and strengthens itself when you take time between workouts. If you workout without proper rest you actually can damage your body, weaken your body, gain negative weight from inflammation and open up risk for injuries and absolute worst case diseases and cancers. When you are working out you are tearing and ripping muscle fibers and stressing the body. For you to build healthy muscle tissue you have to let the muscles repair from the tears. Also you are pulling and stressing tendons and ligaments that also need to repair and rest from the stress you created. So that leads us to our first major phase of recovery.

Short-term Recovery or Active Recovery

We would think of this as a cool down period after a Weight training, High Intensity, Circuit, long runs, long bike rides, pilates, vinyasa flow yoga and any form of strenuous exercise. This cool down period can last for days after the work out especially if you have not worked out in this way before. The best way to start recovery is right after your work out. Perform Active Recovery cardio like: Jogging, Elliptical, Rowing Machine, Speed Walking, Hiking, Swimming or some form of steady medium to low impact cardio right after to start to move out the lactic acid that has build up in the muscles. Lactic acid that has not been expelled out of the muscles can create what we call “Sore Muscles”. You want to make sure you are getting plenty of fluids with electrolytes, do no less than twenty minutes of continuous cardio and take extra magnesium to ward off sore muscles. After cardio has been performed then you do all your stretching and or yoga practice. Then we move on to feeding the muscles with protein 20 to 45 minutes after the muscles have been torn in your training to start helping them repair. This doesn’t have to be a meal replacement shake this can just be some protein powder maybe mixed with a green powder, sea salt or electrolyte powder and water mixed in a shaker bottle. Sleep is very important as well because that is when all the real repairing begins. So drinking alcohol is not advised on weight training days because it negatively effects muscle formation and your sleep so you never build and recover or get stronger. Basically one drink can ruin all the hard work you put in at the gym. Also consuming too much caffeine can have the same effect on recovery and your sleep. Poor sleep can work against you and raise your cortisol levels and create inflammation, weight gain, weak joints and poor muscle growth. Also it can stall human growth hormone activity and glycogen synthesis that is crucial for recovery. Now there are other treatments you can do to add to your recovery as well:

Ice baths

Cold Showers- cant do a ice bath cold showers is a great way to start. Jump in the shower after your workout and start with 30 seconds

Infrared red light Sauna

Red Light Therapy- I own a Joovv light and love it!

Massage

Restorative Yoga Classes

Float Therapy- this is a great therapy practice you get into a large tank filled with mineral salts. The act of floating in the salts is very restorative and reparative

All of these forms of recovery repair the body and give you better performance over all.

Supplementation is also important in your recovery and we have talked about certain supplements in past blog post. The ones to focus on are:

Magnesium- taken before bed and on wake

Omega 3 fatty acids- on hard training days take a double dose to keep inflammation down

Lysine- helps with cellular turnover

Turmeric- also helps with inflammation and pain management much better then taking a over the counter pain reliever

Black Seed Oil- helps the body manage stress

Medicinal Mushrooms- in one of my prior post we go into this into great detail.

Next is the Podcast Round Up

I hope this information is helpful and we will keep digging deeper into recovery through the month!

Have a great Wednesday!

Shara