Do you find yourself in pain after exercise? Does it get more challenging to be consistent with your workouts?
If yes, you need to ask yourself if you’re giving your body the proper care to recover after a workout.
As much as exercise is essential to keep your body healthy, recovery after working out is also crucial. Adequate recovery allows your body to repair and strengthen. It helps in preventing injuries and achieving fitness goals.
By following the below-mentioned tips, you can recover quickly from a workout and effectively stick to your routine.
- Stretching
Spend 5-10 minutes stretching after you finish exercising because it is crucial to restore the body to a state of rest. Stretching prevents dizziness, which can happen if you suddenly stop exercising by lowering your heart rate gradually.
Another benefit of stretching is that it reduces muscle tension and promotes flexibility. Your stretching routine can include stretching the neck, shoulder, quad, hamstring and calf.
Remember to stretch only to the point of mild discomfort, not pain, which means one should never force a stretch. Knowing the right way to stretch is crucial as sometimes stretching wrongly can result in tearing off a muscle. If you exercise without guidance from a professional fitness trainer, you must learn more about stretching techniques from health coaching programs.
- Hydration
While exercising, you lose fluids, which can cause dehydration and muscle cramps. Thus, keep yourself hydrated by drinking water during and after your workout.
You can hydrate yourself by drinking low-sugar sports drinks, green or black tea, coconut water, milk or other healthy beverages. You should drink at least 16 to 24 ounces of fluid because anything less can make your muscles sore and affect their flexibility.
However, it is better not to take caffeinated, overly sugary and alcoholic drinks as they are known for causing dehydration.
- Proper Meal
The body can properly function only when it gets proper nutrition. While exercising, the body uses all the glycogen and protein to provide energy. It needs nutrients to replenish the stored glycogen and make repairs.
It is crucial to have protein after a workout to repair muscle damage. You can take about 20-40 grams of protein to ensure muscle growth.
Apart from protein, take carbs in the form of white rice, sugar and potatoes. You should eat a healthy meal within 45 minutes of finishing your exercise routine.
- Cold Shower
There’s probably nothing, not even sore muscles, that a cold shower can’t fix. An ice bath or cold shower can prevent inflammation, heal from a hard workout routine and ease muscular tension.
Moreover, you can try contrast therapy. In this therapy, you alternate between hot and cold water, resulting in stimulation and dilation of blood vessels which would promote recovery by enhancing blood circulation. Adding to this, if you want a more efficient cold therapy, you can try cryotherapy in Jackson, MS
- Sleep
While people should sleep for 6-8 hours to keep their health intact, those who workout or are athletes should aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Adequate sleep will repair muscles, regulate hormones and improve overall well-being.
Remember, sleep deprivation may impact your recovery process because it can disrupt the production of hormones that control metabolism, appetite, stress and muscle growth.
So, start doing whatever it will take to give you adequate sleep. Be it limiting your screen time, engaging in relaxation techniques or establishing a bedtime routine.
Conclusion
One should always prioritize recovery to keep the body performing at its best. By staying hydrated, following an ideal diet, stretching after the workout and resting well you can create a perfect recovery plan. Following that plan will relax your muscles and prepare you for the next workout session.
