Rest and recovery are integral parts of every fitness regime. Sadly, only a handful of people understand their importance and follow a proper after-exercise recovery plan. Most coaches and trainers argue that recovery after an intense workout session is just as or more important than lifting weights in the gym. Giving your body some time to overcome the extremities allows the muscles and the tissues to repair and prepare them for your next session of intense training.
As a rule of thumb, a muscle needs somewhere around 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild itself. Working out the same set of exercises too soon can cause the tissues to break down rather than strengthening them further. Here in this article, we’ve listed some of the best and most commonly recommended ways to recover after intense exercise.
1. Replace the Lost Fluids
The body loses a lot of fluids during exercise. While it’s essential to replace the lost fluids as and when you workout (take small sips of water every now and then), re-hydrating after the session is an easy and excellent way to boost recovery. Having plenty of water after intense exercise helps in improving the body’s metabolic function and nutrient transfer.
2. Eat a Healthy Recovery Diet
Exercising depletes your energy stores, hence there’s a strong need to refuel them in order to help the body recover, get stronger and be ready for the next upcoming challenge. Energy refueling is even more important if a person is engaged in endurance energy day after day, or he/she is trying to build muscles. Typically, you must consume a healthy recovery diet within 120 minutes of the workout, which must include proteins and complex carbohydrates.
3. Rest and Relax
“Time is the biggest healer.” And, the quote stands true even in the situation of an intense workout. The human body has an amazing capacity to heal and take care of itself when given some time. Resting and relaxing after a hard workout allows the body to recover and repair itself in its natural way and at its own pace. While most people argue against this point, sometimes doing nothing is the smartest way to rejuvenate your body.
4. Stretch It Out
Consider gentle stretching after an intense workout session. This is a simple yet fast way to help the muscles of the body to recover.
5. Get a Massage
A massage is evidently one of the best ways to recover after a hard workout session. It helps in improving blood circulation across the body while allowing it to fully relax and re-energize itself. Self-massage and performing simple foam roller exercises for easing out tight muscles are highly recommended.
6. Take an Ice Bath
Many coaches and gym trainers recommend ice bath, ice massage or contrast water therapy as classic means to recover faster, prevent injury and reduce soreness of muscles. They state that by repeated constricting and dilating, blood vessels help in flushing out waste products present in the tissues. Many pieces of research have also found that contrast water therapy aids in minimizing the delayed onset of muscle soreness amid individuals.
7. Get an Adequate Amount of Sleep
Sleeping is another one of the body’s amazing ways to heal and repair itself. While you’re sleeping, your body produces some essential Growth Hormones (GH) which help in tissue growth and faster repair. Optimal sleep is of the utmost importance for individuals who exercise on a regular basis.
8. Try Some Visualization Exercises
Surveys and studies state that adding a mental practice to one’s regular workout sessions can serve as a huge benefit. Spending some quality time practicing mental rehearsal or opting for a meditation program can significantly help in processing a calmer, clearer attitude and reducing anxiety as well as any kind of reactivity.
Understanding how your mind works and how your thoughts process is a great way to recover both physically and mentally. In addition to this, practicing positive self-talk is another way to change one’s ongoing mental dialogues.
9. Avoid Overtraining
Designing a smart workout routine will ensure your body recovers every time you indulge in a heavy workout session. Excessive exercising, heavy weight training and a lack of resting days can significantly limit a person’s fitness gains from exercising and even minimize recovery efforts of the body.
10. Reduce Your Stress
Stress created from exercise is a good thing. But, chronic stress from other activities like making deadlines at work, facing difficulties in a relationship, getting an inadequate amount of sleep, etc. can significantly pose an impact on a person’s day-to-day life. Too much stress along with intense exercising can be really dangerous for both the mental and physical health of the body. It is therefore recommended to work out when both your mind and body are relaxed and free from any kind of stress.
Take the necessary steps to reduce your level of stress, as it helps in ensuring you bounce back or recover faster than usual. Indulging in light conversations, laughing, doing activities which give you happiness, and staying around people you love are some of the most effective ways to reduce stress.
Listen to Your Body for a Faster Recovery
The most important key to recovering quickly after an intense workout session is to listen to your body. If you’re feeling sore, tired or have a decreased energy level, it’s best to take a break and allow the body to heal itself before hitting the gym for yet another heavy workout session. Alternatively, if you’re feeling stronger the day after a heavy exercising regime, make sure you do some light exercises and let your body have an easier workout. The problem with most of us is that we hardly pay attention to the warning signs issued by our body and indulge in strenuous activities, which rather than doing good, will worsen our condition in the long run.
Following a set working pattern and adhering to the above-mentioned points can actively help the body to recover and prepare itself for the upcoming exercise sessions.
