When you exercise, there are lots of things you need to think about. One of the most important things is actually recovery, as this ensures that you’re able to perform again next time. Without recovering properly, you’re setting yourself up for failure and possible injury. So, keep reading and find out what the best muscle recovery techniques are, and you’ll be fighting fit in no time!
Hydrate
Water is essential for your health, but it’s also vital for your recovery. When you exercise, you’ll most likely be sweating a lot, which means you’ll lose a lot of fluids. If you want to enhance your recovery, then you need to make sure that you replace what you lost by drinking plenty of water. Water helps to ensure that your body can process nutrients and boosts your metabolic function, so without it, you’ll soon notice how lethargic you feel after exercising. So, make sure you replace your lost fluids after exercising, and your body will be able to recover much better.
Eat To Recover
As well as giving your body plenty of fluids, you also need to give it the proper nutrients through food as well. Some of the best foods to eat for recovery are things like fatty fish as they contain a lot of protein, which enables your muscles to regenerate after exertion. Fatty fish also contain omega-3s, which are said to be brilliant at lowering the chance of DOMS by fighting the inflammation that causes it. You also want to make sure that you’re eating plenty of vegetables so that you can get enough starch to help replenish your glycogen stores. Always make sure you plan some healthy, nutritious meals for after your workouts, and you should see a much faster recovery.
Get Plenty Of Rest
Sleep is super important for general recovery even when you haven’t exercised, so it’s no surprise that it’s important for muscle recovery too. You don’t want to push your body too much if you haven’t been able to get enough rest either, as it can make your workouts harder to complete. Not only that, but it can mean you take longer to recover as well, so this can really be detrimental to your overall performance. Make sure you get enough sleep each night, and don’t do more than your body can handle, and your muscle recovery should definitely improve.
Don’t Forget To Stretch
Stretching is brilliant for helping your muscles recover. When you stretch, you allow your muscles to relax. This then helps improve your blood circulation which in turn, helps you to recover better and faster. Try to incorporate a stretching routine into your exercise regime, and you’ll be able to avoid DOMS and recovery much quicker.
Use Hot Or Cold Therapy
Heat is typically used when trying to soothe DOMS, but it can be helpful when preventing them too. Using heat after exercising has been shown to enhance recovery and soothe any soreness you may feel. It does so by reducing inflammation, which then promotes faster healing. Alternatively, you can use cold therapy too, although it’s said to be better used at lest 24 hours after exercising. You could look at taking an ice bath if you’re brave enough, or you could simply use ice packs on the muscles you’ve workout out the most. The cold is supposed to help soothe pain and reduce inflammation, allowing your muscles to repair themselves a lot faster. So, why not add some hot or cold therapy into your routines, and you should see a much more enhanced muscle recovery.
Exercising, while good for your body, can be a problem when you don’t look after yourself properly. This is because your body will struggle to repair itself and you’ll find it hard to complete your next workout. So, make sure you take these tips on board and you’ll find that your muscle recovery improves tenfold.
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