Real Ways to Improve Post-Exercise Recovery
Exercise puts a strain on our body, and that’s the whole point – a little extra stress makes us stronger in the long run. But we also need to be able to recover from this stress in order to use it. So what do you do if you feel like your workouts are beating you up? The first step is to make sure you have the basics of recovery in place.
What it is, we will discuss below. But do not forget that fatigue is not always associated with insufficient recovery. Sometimes fatigue is to be expected, especially if you are approaching a large target. No marathon runner ever says, “I feel great!” when they are four or five weeks old.
On the other hand, if you think your workouts should be easy, but they aren’t, it could mean that your routine isn’t really right for you. A good strength training program, for example, doesn’t just add weight all the time; once you get past the “beginner gain” stage, you will have many easier days or weeks to recharge you so you can continue.
But even taking these factors into account, you will still get the best results from your workouts – whatever they are – if you have recovery set up. So let’s see what it takes.
Food
Food comes first. It serves two important roles in recovery: it provides the raw material for muscle (and other tissue) building, and it provides the energy to fuel those processes and keep you going through the rest of the day.
Protein is probably the first thing you think of when it comes to recovery food. Make sure you’re getting enough , whether you’re gaining, losing, or maintaining your weight; the sum should remain high enough in all three cases.
Next we have carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, including starches and sugars, are your body’s preferred source of energy during workouts. If you don’t have carbs available, your body can continue to burn fat, but you won’t perform as well and feel terrible. (You can adapt a little to no-carb workouts.) So if you’re feeling tired during your workouts, be sure to eat some carbs before or during your workouts.
Another important factor is simply a healthy diet: Do you eat vegetables? Fruit? Getting at least a small amount of fat instead of trying to go on a diet so low that you’re missing out on this important nutrient?
Finally, we have the total amount of food you eat. If you eat at a slight deficit—say, 300 fewer calories than you burn—you will probably get better. But if you’re undernourished, you’re likely to feel tired in and out of training, and you may feel pain more often than if you were eating properly. In extreme cases, this becomes RED-S or relative energy deficit in sports.
Sleep
Sleep is important for recovery, and you already know this from everyday life. If you don’t get enough sleep, the next day will be difficult for you with everything from your workout to your ability to focus.
If you feel like you’re having trouble recovering, one of the first things you should do is spend an extra hour in bed every night – maybe more if you know you’re not getting enough.
By the way: sometimes people will look for sleep hacks and shortcuts, but you don’t have to think too much about it. The things that help you sleep better also help you get enough sleep . Try this sleep hygiene guide to get started.
performance
You’re probably not surprised that food and sleep are important, but there’s another factor that’s just as important when it comes to recovery: performance.
The more work you do, the more work your body can take. Here is the main idea. If you’ve never exercised before and are doing three 30-minute light cardio sessions a week, you’ll probably be a lot more tired than usual. Your body is not used to working so hard.
Sometimes people interpret fatigue as meaning they should back off, but then how do you teach your body to get used to the new stress? The best approach is to do a little more work than before, let your body get used to it, and then add some more. The difference between a person who gets tired from a few easy runs every week and a person who runs five miles every morning before breakfast is really only that the second person took the time to prepare for it.
So don’t fall into the trap of thinking rest is the same as recovery . Keeping you lightly active even on your “rest” days is a great way to boost your ability to handle more work, which in turn means easy recovery from work you’ve already done.
All the rest
Other things we call “recovery” are nowhere near as effective as the things discussed above. Food, sleep, and performance are big levers that you can pull. Don’t waste a minute worrying about getting enough massage, stretching, warming up, cooling down, vitamins and supplements, heat, ice and everything else.
If something on this list seems to work well for you, be sure to keep doing it. Some of them may be useful; scientists have not been able to determine, for example, massage is beneficial or neutral for recovery. This may depend on the type of massage or how you measure recovery.
On the other hand, if something doesn’t seem to work for you, you should probably stop smoking. Some of the things we do for recovery actually have evidence that they do the opposite. Cold therapy, anti-inflammatory supplements, and painkillers seem to make us feel better in the moment, while hindering long-term muscle growth and recovery. So when in doubt, stick to the basics.