Having a good post-workout recovery routine will ensure that your body is able to repair quickly and right back to all of the action.
Today, I’ll go over 4 simple things that you can do to speed up recovery and feel great sooner.
Hydration
Hydration is more than just drinking water. It’s ensuring that your body is able to deliver and put that water to use.
So my number one suggestion when it comes to hydration is make it easily accessible. Carry a cup or bottle with you wherever you go.
As a rule of thumb, you should drink a minimum of half your body weight, in pounds, in ounces of water per day. For example, a 150 pound person should drink 75 ounces of water per day minimum. You may need to hydrate additionally if you’re exercising or outdoors all day.
The second component of hydration comes down to the actual fluids that you’re drinking. Super-purified water may be great for removing unwanted soluble, but that also includes the electrolytes that our bodies need to put that water to use.
A simple solution for that is to add in some electrolyte powders or Celtic sea salt to help get in the electrolytes that your body needs!
Other great options are to add some fruits or veggies, blend a smoothie, or sip on some bone broths.
Nutrition
I won’t dive too deep into nutrition in this post, but it’s important to make sure that you get in some extra protein and carbohydrates after your workouts. I personally like to knock out my meals or drink a smoothie after my workouts!
Make sure no to overdo this one. Consuming an extra 20-30g of protein and the carbs that you’re eating on a regular basis should have you covered.
This ensures that your body has the building block that it needs to fix everything back up again!
Rest
Sleep is one of the non-negotiables when it comes to a healthy body. But we often push it off to the side until the damage is already done.
Almost all adults need around 8 hours of sleep per night. It is possible to be genetically built to function on less than that, but the odds of you having those genes is a fraction of 1%.
A couple ways to improve your sleep quality and quantity are:
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Set an alarm for when it’s time to go to bed
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Get 5-10 minutes of direct outdoor light exposure when you wake up
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Get at least 10 minutes of exercise in the morning
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Avoid caffeine after lunch time
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Avoid consuming alcohol in the evening
It’s often hard to wrap your head around why sleep is worth the time, but the effects of sleep deprivation tend to have compounding effects that really impact us from productivity to risk of disease.
Active Recovery
This is the part where I tell you that it’s faster to recover by moving, rather than sitting around. Don’t kill the messenger.
But truth is, active recovery is hugely effective at helping our body move more nutrients to our muscles and speed up the process of recovery.
The emphasis here will be on light movements. Fasting walking and light jogging are great for this. Doing uphill sprints, after leg day, is a big no-no.
But aside from exercise, stretching, massages, and heat exposure can really help your body recover faster and feel better overall. Plus, who doesn’t like taking a hot bath?
Truth is, faster recovery isn’t really about doing anything special. It’s just about following what we already should be doing to ensure that our body is healthy, happy, and ready to serve us as needed!
