How to Recover Well
When we think about running a 10K, hiking a rugged trail or doing a triathlon, we would always incorporate some sort of recovery into our plan, since it’s a huge physical feat to do events like that. This is always a best practice, for sure. But what if we treated our everyday lives and movement like that as well – do we give our bodies and minds time to rest and recover?
How do we let our minds and bodies begin again after stress, work and everything in between?
Let’s chat through some ways you can give both your physical and mental needs a chance to recover well.
Physical recovery provides so many benefits to your body…for starters;
· It helps reduce the risk for injury. When you are more recovered, it lessens the chance you’ll have fatigue and a breakdown in your movement, which can cause injuries.
· Recovery allows for muscle building and repair after resistance training.
· It strengthens your overall health!
When we talk about recovery, there are two types – passive and active.
Passive recovery is things like getting enough sleep (or taking a nap when you need it!), the quality of the food you eat (and how hydrated you are) and having enough time for mindfulness. More about that in a sec!
Active recovery is things like using a foam roller, a massage gun or getting massages. Don’t forget low-intensity movement also like a walk with a friend - There are so many options!
Here are some of my favorite ways to let my body recover…
Foam rolling is a great way to deal with DOMS (you all know that delayed onset muscle soreness!!!) – foam rolling for 30 seconds on areas of soreness can help relax the muscles. It is a must for me after leg day.
Massage gun – If you have never used one of these you are in a for a treat! Some gyms have these and will let you use, but true story I bought my husband one for $15 at Marshall’s and it works just as well as the expensive kinds. These kinds of devices apply vibration / percussion to specific muscles and can provide much needed relief. I never go to Disney without it :)
Stretching / yoga – Check out my other blogs on movement and you’ll find some fun ways to stretch your body – I love doing yoga while traveling and to recover after a long week. There are so many free yoga classes online you can check out. YouTube has some great options! And of course, if you have any fitness apps (Peloton/Apple/etc.) those tend to include stretching and yoga classes as well. Stretching and recovery is just as important as your workout.
Hot / Cold Therapy – My best friend and I took a trip to Quebec recently, and had the best experience of our lives at a thermal spa – think spending time in a sauna and then dipping in an ice plunge. It sounds strange, but both have so many benefits to your body. Hot therapy helps improve blood follow and cold therapy helps reduce inflammation. Check your area to see if you have any spa’s like this that you could visit.
Now back to that passive recovery of mindfulness…
Do you have time built into your schedule to do a 5 -minute breathing meditation when you are feeling stressed? I’ve found this to be extremely helpful during times of stress or over stimulation. There are so many apps for this if you are having trouble coming up with ideas…calm, headspace, etc.
Hopefully these ideas get you thinking about ways you could incorporate recovery into your daily life. Need ideas or want to chat through how you could begin again in recovery? Message us and we’ll set up a free time to connect!