We’ve all experienced a particularly difficult workout and its impact on our bodies in the following week. Many people have found injuries struggling, not only because of its physical limitations but because of the psychological impact, of not being active. As a result it is important to recover so that you can get back into shape. This article will provide you with seven activities that you can do in the immediate aftermath, and the days after, to speedily recover after your workout.
Immediately After the Brutal Workout, you should,
- Soothe your muscles:
You have just finished a brutal workout and need to take care of your body so that it feels better. One way to do this is by using ice packs or any other type of cold compress on areas that are tired and sore from the workout (e.g., thighs, hamstrings, neck). Another way is by using an Epsom salt bath for muscle recovery which helps remove toxins from the body while soothing sore muscles. Many people have reported feeling benefits from mixing 2 cups of Epsom salt in warm water.
- Drink fluids:
Drinking enough fluid throughout the day has many health benefits, especially after a difficult workout. We lose fluids and can become dehydrate through sweating or breathing, and these fluids have to be replaced in order to stay healthy but feel good. Many people who exercise forget about the importance of staying hydrated, or neglect to bring a bottle of water after a workout. This can make people feel exhausted, lethargic, dizzy or even lightheaded. Furthermore, without enough water, lactic acid, which is a product of some types of exercises, cannot be flushed away from the muscles. This accumulation can cause discomfort and later on, pain or sore muscles.
The best way to monitor your water intake is by drinking eight glasses every day. Drinking water before you start working out helps your body prepare for a workout by supplying it with all the necessary hydration so that you don't have to worry all about it later on when you're finished.
3) Eat nutritious food.
The goal of eating after a workout is to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to heal and rebuild. This might seem like an easy task, but it gets confusing when you’re not sure what food you should be eating.
There are many different foods that can help your body recover from a hard day at the gym. Some people will focus on carbohydrates for recovery because this quickly replenishes glycogen stores in the muscles and liver, which provides a quick burst of energy when needed. Other people may choose to eat more protein because it helps with muscle recovery and repair, which is crucial for maintaining or even building muscle strength. Eating both will help you achieve a better recovery but also help you feel better.
- Stretch
Stretching after a workout is important to recover from the microtrauma that muscles experience. Stretching also helps people avoid injury.
Many people can find stretching boring and unnecessary. As a result, it is often neglected, but it is not something that needs to take up too much of your time. It can be a few minutes of their day, which will lead to better recovery and performance in the long run.
Stretching isn't just a post-workout activity - it can be done before a workout as well for more flexibility before working out with weights or running on the treadmill. This reduces the risk of injuries as the muscles are activated and joint fluids are warmed up to support movements during training.
In the Aftermath of a Brutal Workout, you can also try:
- Remedial massage
Remedial massage after a workout has been shown to be very beneficial for recovery. It helps with improving blood flow and inflammation, as well as helping you feel better mentally.
While some might dismiss massage therapy as a form of therapy as it is alternative medicine, the manipulation of soft tissue which promote health and wellness has been used by professional athletes for decades. Massage aims to release the muscles, stimulate the blood flow, reduce pain and stress, and ease tension in muscles.
- Active Therapy
Active recovery is a form of physical therapy that does not require any equipment and is location independent. You can practice active recovery in the gym, at home, or even in isolation. It is characterized by repetitive, low-level movements that can improve the body's overall health.
Active recovery is proven to be more than just a good way to stretch your muscles after a workout. Studies have shown that people who practice active recovery are less likely to develop back pain related injuries and they also recover faster from intense exercise.
So when should you practice active recovery?
Many people experience physical and emotional exhaustion as signs of overtraining. These can manifest as bad sleep, muscle weakness, higher levels of anxiety, and mood swings. Active recovery techniques will help you to reduce these symptoms and avoid overtraining.
We generally see active recovery being used in two situations: in the days following your brutal training when the body is fatigued or when you are recovering from an injury.
So how can I practice active recovery?
We start the active recovery process by taking a break from strenuous exercise and switching to easier workouts with lighter weights or intensities for one day to three days depending on the intensity of exercise over the past week. The next step would be to start light exercises such as yoga or a light walk for five minutes to one hour at least once a day for a week or two. This will help your body recover from fatigue without causing any significant damage to muscles and tissues.
What else can I do to improve my recovery from a difficult workout?
To reduce fatigue and make your life and work more enjoyable, we start by relieving stress, tension, and muscle soreness. In addition to the techniques we’ve suggested above, the most powerful way (and difficult to purposely control,) is sleep.
Sleep has a powerful and restorative effect on our injuries. However, it’s not as easy to force, especially if you have muscle aches. Our seventh recommendation, is to take supplements that promote recovery.
We have formulated supplements that will help you sleep more easily and with a better quality, feel better by increasing serotonin levels and soothe muscle aches. These products are the Sleep Aid, 5 HTP and CBD Salve, together forming the powerful Recovery Set. You can purchase the Recovery Set here. These three products, acting in concert will help you recover as effectively as possible to help you return to training with even more determination and grit.
