What if I told you that too much training without proper recovery will actually send you in the opposite direction of your goals.
If someone asked you how do you recover from your workouts, how would you answer them?
One of the most important things you can do for your body and your health is dial in your recovery!
Here are 3 key ways to make sure you are doing everything possible to protect your health and get the results you are looking for from your workouts.
- The first and most important piece to recovery is SLEEP!
There are many of us in America that do not value sleep the way we should. Sleep is the single biggest factor in recovery because of everything that happens in our body and brains when we sleep for a full 7-9 hours a night.
Hormones are released that play a major role in repairing our bodies from the past day. Sleep helps with the release of a couple key hormones that regulate our appetite making us feel less hungry throughout the day.
If you observe a full-time athlete’s schedule, one thing you will notice is that they prioritize sleep over everything. In fact, most athletes are sleeping 9-10 hours a night because they know that is what's going to give them an edge the next day for their training or competitions.
- The next most important piece to recovery is the FOOD you eat to fuel and repair your body.
One of the best things to do for your recovery is to make sure you are eating enough protein to repair muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons from the daily stress of training. You also need protein and amino acids to for the role they play in hundreds of processes in your body.
After protein, you want to make sure you are eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide micronutrients needed on a daily basis. Between the sweat during your workouts and the repairs your needs to do during recovery, fruits and vegetables help you replenish the vitamins and minerals. With these vitamins and minerals our bodies can function as they should.
If you aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, something will break down soon - whether that be an injury or getting sick because our immune system is rundown from excessive exercise and poor recovery.
- Next on my list for recovery is HYDRATION.
Hydration is another incredibly important piece to recovery. You are made up of about 70% water and water is essential in almost all processes in your body. Being dehydrated is going to affect your mental sharpness and your physical readiness.
In addition, being dehydrated and trying to workout is only going to fan the flames of the havoc you are wrecking on your body.
Staying hydrated can also make it easier to stay disciplined with your workout out schedule. When you are dehydrated, it directly affects your brain and seems to make you lose some motivation.
In a typical workout you lose anywhere between 2-10% of our total body water in sweat ( depending on how much you sweat)! Because of that, it's absolutely necessary to replenish these fluids before, during and after exercising to stay healthy!
Start with these 3 areas to take your recovery seriously and maintain a happy, healthy body free from injuries and illnesses!
