Even though you may be physically active, sometimes
you may feel run down and out of energy. Here are five
important areas of exercise recovery to help you remain
optimally fit.
5 important keys
to Exercise Recovery
1. Make sure
to get enough rest. You know your body. If
you’re feeling run down and out of energy all the
time, the first thing to look at is the amount of
rest you’re getting.
As it gets hotter outside and you have more daylight
to play with, you may tend to try and do too much
in one day. Your body has to recuperate and requires
sleep time. Try to shoot for at least 8 hours per
night. Maybe your body only requires 7; that’s fine,
just keep tuned to your body’s queues and recognize
that you may need more. Without adequate rest, you’ll
be more susceptible to getting sick and will definitely
not maximize your muscular and cardiovascular conditioning.
2. Nutrition
is vital to recovery. You have to give your body the
right kind of nutrients at the right time.
There are two,
maybe three critical timings for eating. The first
is after you’ve been sleeping all night. You need
to fuel-up your body. A well-balanced meal is a necessity.
If you don’t put fuel in your body when your tank
is empty, your body will start breaking down muscle
for its needed energy requirement.
The second is
the post-workout meal. Within 30 minutes, you need
at least some type of carbohydrate to start replenishing
your lost glycogen stores. A piece of fruit, glass
of juice, sports drink, etc. Since your muscles have
been worked, it’s also important to get some protein.
Optimally, you need a meal that contains 3 grams of
carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein.
You also need
to eat to fuel your workouts. About an hour to an
hour and a half before working out, eat a moderate
carbohydrate, low protein meal to fully saturate your
glycogen muscle stores.
3. Stretching
is another good recovery technique to get in the habit
of doing. Before heavy exercise, stretching gets blood
flowing into your muscles and prepares them for activity.
After exercise, stretching facilitates the movement
of lactic acid (the by-product of energy production)
out of your muscles and into your blood system to
get broken down and passed out of your body. The lactic
acid build-up is what causes muscles to become sore.
So…..you want to do whatever possible to shuttle that
bad stuff out of your muscle cells. Another good technique
is massaging the muscles you just worked.
4. Be aware of
the duration and intensity of your exercise
sessions. You know when you get a good workout; you
can feel it. It’s a great sense of accomplishment.
However, it is smarter and better for your body in
the long run to factor in some lighter exercise sessions.
Never dramatically increase the intensity of a workout.
Especially in the case of cardiovascular training,
you should not increase the intensity more than 10%
per week. To do so would only be asking for an injury.
Of course, the more "in shape" you are the
better your body will be able to handle an intense
workout.
5. There are
a variety of supplements out there that can
help your body recover after a strenuous workout.
They range from electrolyte/carbohydrate replacement
drinks, meal replacement drinks, protein drinks. And,
don’t forget the numerous different kinds of energy/protein/replacement
bars.
Personally, I use meal
replacement drinks and energy/protein bars on a routine
basis. Realistically, it’s almost impossible to get
good nutrition without having some kind of "easy
fix" supplement at least during those inconvenient
situations.
I hope you follow these
five principles on a regular basis to maintain your
optimal health and fitness.
