Blogs by EVO

Written by Paige Marcoe

Recovery is slowly becoming recognized as one of the most critical parts of overall health and wellness. Recovery is the act of restoring the body to a state of homeostasis after putting stress on the body. Learn how to recover from physiological, chemical, and environmental stress to improve performance and overall well being.

Active Recovery:

Active Recovery is a very light activity done after repeated intense workouts. Think walking, light yoga, light swimming etc.

The goal of active recovery is to remove lactic acid and hydrogen from your muscles and to provide blood flow and proteins to muscles used in previous workouts.

Massage:

Massage is shown to decrease muscle pain and soreness as well as improve lymphatic flow and circulation. 

 It is important however, to avoid massage directly after exercise to avoid the reduction of circulation and of removal of lactic acid and hydrogen from muscles.

 Also, in a study done on cyclers in particular, participants found greater success with cold water immersion and active recovery.

Sleep:

Sleep aids muscles in releasing protein-building amino acids and growth hormones at a quicker rate to help muscles grow bigger and stronger.

Refueling:

It is best to refuel with a carbohydrate-rich snack post-workout ro replace depleted glycogen in muscles. It is also beneficial to consume 15-25g of protein within an hour after a workout to aid muscle rebuilding.

As for re-hydrating, it is ideal to consume 16-24oz of water or sports drink (you can make your own sports drink just by adding Himalayan pink salt to your water!) for every pound of fluid lost during exercise. To measure fluid lost, weigh yourself before and after exercise and calculate the difference. Via: NASM.org