5 ways to optimise recovery
It’s the unfavourable side of working out. The stuff that you kind of always skip at the end of training, or forget has an impact when you’ve only had a few hours’ sleep and your performance dips. Recovery, to me, goes hand-in-hand with effective, healthy training. It’s the butter on the metaphorical working out bread. And, most importantly, it shouldn’t be ignored.
So, I thought I’d give my top tips on how you can promote better recovery, and get the best out of your body and your training!
1. Active recovery
Walking, gently cycling - keeping your heart rate slow and steady, but at the same time aiding lymphatic drainage is always advisable after a heavy session or on rest days. If you’re feeling particularly sore, this is something I’d advise!
2. Fuel your body
Ensure you’re eating enough to promote recovery. Food is inherently linked to how your body recovers from exercise, so if you’re not recovering well, make sure you’re fueling your training properly, both before and after.
3. Foam rolling
This doesn’t have to be hours spent flip-flopping around on a roller. But post-workout, it can be great to help bring your heart rate down and reduce tightness. Let me add here that foam rolling isn’t going to work miracles as some promise, but it can help in some cases.
4. Sleep
There have been tonnes of studies showing how sleep (or the lack of it) can affect performance. Sleeping allows your body to adequately recover, and a lack of it can not only affect performance - but also mood, motivation and levels of fatigue during the day. We all need different amounts of sleep, but aiming for 8+ hours a night is a good place to start, particularly if you’re working out a lot.
5. Check your form
It’s completely normal to be sore post-workout, particularly if you’re new to working out or mixing up your training. But, there’s a big difference between muscle soreness and potential injuries caused from poor form. If you’re concerned that you’re repetitively sore from an exercise or specific session / class, perhaps get someone to check your form and see if this is where you’re going wrong.