The human body has the great ability to exercise and experience many benefits from it. However, along with great benefits and results often comes pain and setbacks. Training hard comes with it’s own set of issues such as, delated onset of muscle soreness. It’s usually felt a day or two post working out. The pain and/or soreness often means you worked out hard and tried a new form or movement. But sometimes the pain or soreness can impact your workouts for the remaining week or lead to an injury. It’s vital to take time to have an effective recovery so you can show up the next day.
There are a few way you can avoid this so you can keep up your fitness regime. Having a quicker recovery period will not only allow you to reach your goals, but also help you mentally not get beat down. Because let’s face it, an injury can put a downer in your routine and mood. So with that in mind, here are a few tips you can do to aid muscle recovery and speed up your recovery in between training sessions.
Water, Water, Water!
Consuming enough fluid during and post workout is something a lot of people forget to do. You have to balance your body and refuel it with electrolytes. Getting a headache after a workout is usually a sign of dehydration and not quenching your thirst. Try to remember to fill up a water bottle and sip on it during your workout so you can avoid a delay. Also, a quick tip I learned and practice every morning is to drink lemon water. That is a great and beneficial way to kickstart your digestion and fuel your body with some electrolytes.
Supplement When Necessary
Not all supplements are bad or a waste of money. You must be intentional with buying the right kind and also read labels before grabbing and bringing it home. Branch-chain amino can prevent soreness and help your muscles recover quicker. You can eat all the right foods and drink all the right things, but a few supplements are good for the body because your body depletes itself so quickly. Experimenting with different supplements can be useful, but always check in with your health care provider first. Of course, it’s worth doing your research and browsing through some common questions to see if this will fit in with your lifestyle. Another thing to consider is a post-workout snack to help you to recover optimally.
Fuel Your Body Post Workout
Fueling your body with protein dense foods and high nutrient whole foods is exactly what you need to help you with the recovery phase. Your body just went through a high intensity workout and it needs proper nutrient in order to fully recover and repair. There are a range of options to choose from, but try to aim for healthy options post workout. You want to maintain that “feel good” energy. I tend to make a plant based protein smoothie post workout with one or two fruit and two scoops of protein powder.
Proper Warmup can Prevent an Injury
To be completely honest, this is the one I struggle with most. My time is sacred with soon to be four children. I don’t have time to goof off with my workouts. When I show up, it’s game time. But, it is the most important thing to take time to warm up effectively, no matter what workout you’re doing. Warming up has so many benefits and the pros definitely outweigh the cons (if there are any).Dynamic stretching is one of the best ways to kickstart a workout. I usually prep my workouts with some basic yoga moves to warm up my muscles. The key is to activate your muscles and get your heartrate up a bit. Skipping a warmup routine can cause an injury over time.
Take time to Cool Down
Another huge and important part to your workout: the cool down! I know it can be hard to do some post workout stretching, especially when you’re just done, done. But three to five minutes can make a world of a difference for the days to follow. Your muscles are warm right after a workout so it’s perfect to improve your range of motion, as well as a chance to give your muscles a time to recover.
Foam Roll those Injuries
If you haven’t used a foam roller before, it could definitely be worth looking into. A foam roller can help improve your performance when working out, as well as improve your recovery. Foam rollers are great for working out deep tissue knots and releasing muscle tension. Maybe add a foam roller to your rest days and use it as an opportunity to improve your flexibility. Plus, any injury you may have can often be worked out with a foam roller. Just take it slow and easy initially.
There are a number of things that you can do, including hot and cold treatments. Ice baths can be great for muscles soreness, as well as hot baths with Epsom salts. Find something that works for you. Just remember to follow basic guidelines to avoid preventable injuries.
