Everyone loves a river-sweating Cardio Blast, a muscle-burning Fighting Fit class, and an ab-grinding TRX session (right?). But how do you let muscles heal, keep working at a relatively high intensity, remain injury free, and stay focused on your goals. The answer is a great RECOVERY system. Listed below are 5 of the most common methods to keep your engine firing at 100%.
Whole Foods
Have a healthy snack or meal within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise. Bananas, whole grains, low-fat yoghurt, and tuna promote muscle regeneration, and faster recovery.
Drink
You need to hydrate, and the healthiest way is to drink water and lots of it - 8 glasses a day at least, more if you are exercising. You can take the PEE TEST to see if you have rehydrated properly.
Everyone’s raving about chocolate milk at the minute. It has a good mix of carbs, protein and fat, and is better than a sports drink. BUT don’t use this as an excuse to stock up your fridge with this stuff. It should be taken moderately, and not consumed with your regular meals.
Avoid vitamin water, and soda pop, as they are loaded with sugar, and you’ll pay for its short-term refreshment.
Meditation
Watching Honey Boo Boo barf on the floor after a cookie binge is not positive “mental stimulation”, it’s just mental, (as are the people who watch it!). Positive mental, and spiritual stimulation in this case can be opera music, a Yin or Restorative Yoga class, reading a book, lying in the middle of the quiet ocean on a yacht.
Find a space where you can zone out, and relax the mind. If you need help, there are plenty of free meditative audio readings floating around the internet.
Sleep
The best of all recovery methods, and you probably aren’t getting enough of it! Proper sleep increases energy, performance, and focus levels. It also decreases the feeling of fatigue, and stress.
Get 8 hours each night, and try and wake up at the same time every morning regardless of when you go to bed. Your body loves routine, which is why it’s difficult to begin exercising in the first place.
Active Release (Stretching/Foam Roller)
This is the physical equivalent of meditation. Stretching daily, whether you have a workout planned that day or not, will maintain and improve your flexibility. Rolling will help release tight muscles and correct any imbalances. A cheap person’s massage! You can find some awesome exercises right HERE!
So there you go, the 5 best ways to recover from exercise. Don’t forget to align your recovery options with your goals. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat or drink high calorie items to recover after your next Stack Attack marathon.
See you at the studio.
Kevin
NOTE: You’ll notice that protein shakes, and bars are not listed here. We all have busy lives, and these are a popular choice for snack/meal replacements on the go. If you can’t find the time to balance the 5 options above, be careful and read the label of ingredients. Just because it says “Protein Bar” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Go for lower sugar, calorie & additive options.
Whole Foods
Have a healthy snack or meal within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise. Bananas, whole grains, low-fat yoghurt, and tuna promote muscle regeneration, and faster recovery.
Drink
You need to hydrate, and the healthiest way is to drink water and lots of it - 8 glasses a day at least, more if you are exercising. You can take the PEE TEST to see if you have rehydrated properly.
Everyone’s raving about chocolate milk at the minute. It has a good mix of carbs, protein and fat, and is better than a sports drink. BUT don’t use this as an excuse to stock up your fridge with this stuff. It should be taken moderately, and not consumed with your regular meals.
Avoid vitamin water, and soda pop, as they are loaded with sugar, and you’ll pay for its short-term refreshment.
Meditation
Watching Honey Boo Boo barf on the floor after a cookie binge is not positive “mental stimulation”, it’s just mental, (as are the people who watch it!). Positive mental, and spiritual stimulation in this case can be opera music, a Yin or Restorative Yoga class, reading a book, lying in the middle of the quiet ocean on a yacht.
Find a space where you can zone out, and relax the mind. If you need help, there are plenty of free meditative audio readings floating around the internet.
Sleep
The best of all recovery methods, and you probably aren’t getting enough of it! Proper sleep increases energy, performance, and focus levels. It also decreases the feeling of fatigue, and stress.
Get 8 hours each night, and try and wake up at the same time every morning regardless of when you go to bed. Your body loves routine, which is why it’s difficult to begin exercising in the first place.
Active Release (Stretching/Foam Roller)
This is the physical equivalent of meditation. Stretching daily, whether you have a workout planned that day or not, will maintain and improve your flexibility. Rolling will help release tight muscles and correct any imbalances. A cheap person’s massage! You can find some awesome exercises right HERE!
So there you go, the 5 best ways to recover from exercise. Don’t forget to align your recovery options with your goals. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat or drink high calorie items to recover after your next Stack Attack marathon.
See you at the studio.
Kevin
NOTE: You’ll notice that protein shakes, and bars are not listed here. We all have busy lives, and these are a popular choice for snack/meal replacements on the go. If you can’t find the time to balance the 5 options above, be careful and read the label of ingredients. Just because it says “Protein Bar” doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Go for lower sugar, calorie & additive options.
