The most important fitness and well-being aspect is ironically the most neglected. It is well known that recovery is essential to build muscles and allow your body to repair itself after a strenuous workout. However, far too often, this recovery process is neglected, or if it is taken into consideration, it is not done in a manner that will show great results. This is why smart physical and mental recovery is essential to anyone's wellness routine. The three main aspects of recovery are the same pillars of wellness that we should all be familiar with now: sleep, nutrition, and exercise. However, when giving your body a break and focusing on rejuvenation, each of these pillars should be approached slightly differently.
Nutrition: Post-workout, you want to focus your meals on replenishing, which includes carb and protein-rich foods that are still nutrient dense. Examples include oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, fruits, eggs, Greek yogurt, salmon, chicken, and so many more. This post-workout meal is essential because it increases recuperation, promotes muscle protein synthesis, and improves performance during your subsequent session.
Sleep: Sleep is when your body can reset and replenish, a process especially necessary after an intense workout. Without sleep, your muscles can't recuperate from the strain of exercise; therefore, you will experience the opposite effect you want to achieve from working out. Loss of muscle mass, function, and metabolic dysfunction are a few of the consequences that may occur with inadequate sleep.
Exercise: Exercise in terms of recovery is not exercise but rather active recovery. It is crucial to allow your muscles to move and work at low impact while taking time to recover to ensure optimal results. Active recovery improves blood flow, which aids in removing waste from soft tissue damaged by strenuous activity. Nutrients that assist in the healing and reconstruction of muscles, tendons, and ligaments are then delivered by fresh blood flow. Examples include foam rolling, gentle stretching, low-intensity cycling, swimming, trigger point release, walking, and yoga.
A great way to get your active recovery in is biking along Saskatoon’s beautiful river trails on your to and from CrossFit 306. We also have lots of foam rollers and mats for a post workout stretch with friends. See you soon!
