Workout Recovery
Rest and recovery is an essential part of any workout routine. Your after-exercise recovery routine has a big impact on your fitness gains and sports performance and allows you to train much more effectively. Unfortunately, most people don’t have an after exercise recovery plan. Here are some tips to get your post-workout plans:
Replace your Fluids:
You lose a lot of fluid during exercise and ideally, you should be replacing it during exercise, but filling up after exercise is an easy way to boost your recovery.
Water supports every metabolic function and nutrient transfer in the body and having plenty of water will improve every bodily function. Adequate fluid replacement is even more important for endurance athletes because they lose large amounts of water due to sweating.
Some of my favorite Water Bottles and Electrolytes to help with recovery:
- Best Filtering Water Bottle: Berkey Sport Water Bottle
- Electrolyte Tablets: Nuun Sport Water Tablets
- Electrolyte Rapid Recovery Drink: Hi-Lyte Drink
- Electrolyte Powder Drink:Key Nutrients Electrolyte Powder
Eat Healthy Foods Post Workout:
After depleting your energy stores with exercise, you need to refuel if you expect your body to recover, repair tissues, get stronger and be ready for the next workout. This is even more important if you are performing endurance exercise day after day or trying to build muscle.
Ideally, you should try to eat within 30- 60 minutes of the end of your workout and make sure you include some high-quality protein and carbohydrates. Hard workouts require proper nutrition to fuel and refuel working muscles.
During an exercise session, energy stores (glycogen) are depleted, muscle tissue is damaged, and fluids along with electrolytes are lost through sweat. Post-workout nutrients are essential for replenishing muscle glycogen depleted from physical demands. Also, consuming an exercise recovery meal helps stimulate protein synthesis to repair and build new muscle tissue.
Below are some of my favorite Protein Powders to use as your post workout fuel (CLICK THE BLUE LINKS TO GO RIGHT TO THE PRODUCT):
- Vegan Protein: Orgain Protein Powder
- Whey Protein: Iconic Protein Powder
- On the Go Protein Shake: Single Serving Iconic Protein
- Vegan on the Go Protein Shake: Single Serve Orgain Shake
Try a Few Supplements added to Your Regimen:
Our body not only needs proper food but also addition of some supplements is also ideal. Below are some of my favorite supplements that can help with quicker recovery and reduce soreness related to exercise (CLICK THE BLUE LINKS TO GO RIGHT TO THE PRODUCT):
- BCAAs: Truth Nutrition BCAAs
- L-Glutamine:
- Collagen:
Rest and Relax:
Time is one of the best ways to recover (or heal) from just about any illness or injury and this also goes for after a hard workout. Your body has an amazing capacity to take care of itself if you allow it some time. Resting after a hard workout allows the repair and recovery process to happen at a natural pace. It’s not the only thing you can or should do to promote recovery, but sometimes doing nothing is the easiest thing to do.
Sometimes its hard to schedule yourself a rest day or 2 but it is very important to be able to let your body recover. Below are some links to some of my favorite fitness planners that you can use to schedule workouts and incorporate rest days.
(CLICK THE BLUE LINKS TO GO RIGHT TO THE PRODUCT):
Stretch it Out:
After a tough workout, consider gentle stretching. This is a simple and fast way to help your muscles recover.
Some of my favorite Equipment to use to help get a better stretch(CLICK THE BLUE LINKS TO GO RIGHT TO THE PRODUCT):
- Foam Roller: Long Foam Roller
- Grid Foam Roller: Trigger Point Foam Roller
- Stretching Strap: Stretch It Out Strap
- Trigger Point Balls:Acupoint Myofascial Release Balls
Perform Active Recovery:
Easy, gentle movement (such as a brisk walk or a bike ride) improves circulation, which helps promote nutrient and waste product transport throughout the body.This could help the muscles with repair and refueling.
Get a Bit More Sleep:
While you sleep, amazing things are taking place in your body. Optimal sleep is essential for anyone who exercises regularly. During sleep, your body produces Growth Hormone (GH) which is largely responsible for tissue growth and repair.
If you feel like you cant fall right to sleep and need a little help to get a full nights rest here are some of my favorite go to’s below (CLICK THE BLUE LINKS TO GO RIGHT TO THE PRODUCT):
- Reishi Mushroom ( use code : “KGOODSHROOM” for discount at check out): Foursigmatic Reishi Mushroom Elixir
- Collagen Sleep Shot: Vital Proteins Sleep Shot
- Sleep Supplement: Bulletproof Sleep Mode
- Sleep Gummies: Goop Knock Me Out
- Magnesium Powder: Calmful Sleep
- Botanical Sleep Gummies: Olly Restful Sleep
Avoid Overtraining:
One simple way to recovery faster is by designing a smart workout routine in the first place. Excessive exercise, heavy training at every session or a lack of rest days will limit your fitness gains from exercise and undermine your recovery efforts.
Listen to Your Body:
The most important thing you can do to recovery quickly is to listen to your body. If you are feeling tired, sore or notice decreased performance you may need more recovery time or a break from training for a little while. If you are feeling strong the day after a hard workout, you don’t have to force yourself to go slow. If you pay attention, in most cases, your body will let you know what it needs and when it needs it.
So take a least one if not a couple of these recovery tips into consideration when planning your workouts this week. You will see a difference in your recovery time bth physically and mentally.
Healthfully Yours,
Krystal Goodman