We have talked about the importance of recovery before, but other than walking, stretching and light jogging, there are some other, different ways to incorporate recovery into your routine.
- Hot-Cold Contrast Baths
- This process flushes blood rapidly through the body, which helps with the recovery process
- Immersion in cold water removed blood rapidly from the limbs, where immersion in warm water rapidly brings new blood in
- This process helps accelerates circulation of blood through the body
- While it is hard to have a space where you can immerse your entire body in cold, followed by hot water, there is a process you can do that targets specific parts of your body and is a much easier process
- Place a couple of washcloths in the freezer and let them freeze
- Put hot water in a hot water bottle
- Place a frozen cloth on the desired body part for 5-8 minutes, then place the hot water bottle on the same area for 5-8 minutes
- Repeat this cycle for at least 4 times; more if needed
- Sleep
- Your body releases hormones specifically designed for recovery when you sleep
- If possible, take naps during the day to makeup for any lost time during the night
- As long as you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep each day, it does not need to be all at one time
- Make it Fun
- Movement, not "exercise", brings into the body for healing
- Be sure to include periods of non-exercise movement into your routine to help with recovery from tough workouts and sore muscles
- Do something you enjoy. Make your daily movement fun, rather than making it feel like a chore. If you don't like walking/running, don't make that your recovery activity.
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