7 Exercise Recovery Tips after a Workout
Exercise is important to maintain a strong, healthy body. Exercise recovery is also very important but it is something that a lot of people overlook. Below we have listed 7 exercise recovery tips after workout. These tips will help you make sure that you are exercising as effectively and as efficiently as possible.
1. Cool Down Exercises
It’s never a good idea to complete a strenuous workout and then just plop down on the couch and watch television. Spend a few minutes doing some gentle exercises after your workouts to help your body cool down. All you really need to do is to continue moving your body around at low intensity for a few minutes. This will help your body get rid of lactic acid that has built up in your muscles and it will prevent or reduce the soreness and stiffness that you feel after your workouts.
Drink Plenty of Fluids
It’s important to drink fluids before, during, and after your workouts. You must replace the fluids that are lost when your body sweats. Sports drinks can be good for replacing electrolytes but many sports drinks are also high in calories so be aware that if you’re watching your weight. You can drink water during your workouts and you may want to consider a fruit smoothie as a postworkout treat.
Have Good Eating Habits
After a strenuous workout, you need to refuel your body. You also need to give your body what it needs to repair tissues and prepare for the next workout. A good postworkout meal will include lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also a good addition to any meal.
Get a Massage
This may be a luxury that not everyone will have access to you but studies show that massage is a great way to help muscles recover from strenuous activity. A massage can also help prevent injury.
Rest Your Muscles
It’s usually a good idea to mix up your training routine. Don’t train the same muscle group every day. If you do an upper body workout one day, you might want to do a lower body workout the next day. A lot of people also like to alternate between weight training and cardio, doing weight training one day, cardio the next day, and switching back and forth. It’s also a good idea to have one day per week where you just rest and don’t do any strenuous exercise.
Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
If you like to reward yourself with a beer after your workout, you may want to reconsider. There is research that suggests that having one or two drinks after workout may reduce the body’s ability to recover.
Get Plenty of Sleep
If you’re not getting enough sleep, your muscles will not recover as quickly. If you are an athlete, a lack of sleep will negatively affect your performance. Many people that work out vigorously actually require more sleep than people who do not work out. Get plenty of sleep to help your body recover.
I hope these tips will help you. You may belong to a health club or have a personal trainer, and you may workout harder than anyone else you know, but if you use these tips to help you recover after exercise, you will be able to get even more out of your workouts.
