Performing a workout enhances an individual’s body movements and health and may even improve physical appearance. Working out reduces the risks of diseases, mainly cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis, by a considerable percentage. It also eliminates possible health risks like high cholesterol and high-fat storage. It has been shown to improve the immune system making the body strong, resulting in a balanced well-being but it is important to learn how to recover after a workout.
A workout is affected by four principles: frequency, intensity, time, and type of workout. An increase of more than 10% in the normal range a person can handle may often lead to muscle soreness. Muscle soreness is the injury or inflammation of a muscle resulting from using it in performing a specific activity over a long period. The soreness will bring the most discomfort between 24-72 hours after the strenuous workout.
How To Recover From A Strenuous Workout
Here are some all-natural ways that may aid the recovery of the body after a challenging workout.
1. Get A Massage
Recovery comes in various ways. Some say it can come from external factors like a warm bath, while others say it can be done during physical activity. Some say rest is the only key. But whatever these ways are, all of them could work depending on your needs and body.
Another excellent way for recovery is a massage. This is done by applying a small amount of force to the body by a different person. Some even use CBD massage oils to relieve the soreness of a muscle. They’re suggested by many elite trainers for their ability to aid recovery and relieve muscle pain.
Even though marijuana is considered a significant problem when abused, cannabidiol essential oils used in massages won’t affect a person’s physiological or mental ability, for it won’t enter the body’s system. There are those, like this company, that suggest using CBD for holistic healing.
Aside from being an excellent tool for exercise recovery, a massage could also help provide an excellent time to relax your body and dispel those unnecessary things going inside your head.
2. Don’t Skip Warm Up And Cool Down
Warm-up is a pre-exercise that may involve stretching to prepare the body for the load that it may encounter. Light jogging or cycling gently on a bike are good warm-up practices. They warm up your body and prepare your cardiovascular system for physical exercises by increasing blood supply to your muscles and improving your body temperature. When the muscles are sufficiently warmed up, the moves, strains, and stretches you do during your exercise would be less injurious.
On the other hand, cool down is an exercise after the workout. There are even five-minute cool-down exercises that can normalise the heart rate and slows down breathing. Cooldown is also an excellent opportunity for relaxation.
By making these simple pre- and post-exercises, the likelihood of muscle soreness may be reduced after learning how to recover after a workout.
3. Keep Hydrated
You might know that water is a substance containing oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. But do you know that the human body is mainly composed of water?
Much water is lost when a person breathes, most especially when working out due to sweat. This makes water the best liquid to take to replenish this lost fluid when working out. Water is an essential substance needed to regulate body temperature and maintain the internal chemical processes. It keeps the critical body functions working. This bodily material is also required mainly by the body to produce a significant amount of cellular energy to process work.
Thus, ensure you always have water with you, especially when you’re out in the gym. Labeling your water gym bottles doesn’t only keep you safe from the health dangers of mixing up your bottles with the others, it also ensures you can quickly reach out for it when you’re feeling dehydrated or thirsty.
4. Get Some Rest And Sleep
The body gets tired when it reaches its final point. Thus, it’s crucial to have a good rest after a challenging workout. Resting and sleeping are said to help the body recover mentally, physically, and psychologically.
It’s usually required for an adult to have at least seven to eight hours of sleep a day. Quality sleep helps the body produce hormones and proteins that are needed to repair and create new cells. It also helps to increase the storage of energy and prepares the body for the next workout.
If having problems with sleeping, CBD or cannabidiol is also proven to treat insomnia and assist the body to be deeply submerged into a good deep rest.
5. Try A Salt Bath
Epsom salt or commonly known as magnesium sulfate is a powerful compound that originates in England. Although considered a salt, it’s pretty different from the regular table salt or sodium chloride. Epsom salt is used as a healing agent because of its ability to remove pain and relieve stress.
It seems to be a common practice now, as Epsom salt is usually diluted in water for baths and foot soaks. Though Epsom salt is believed to relieve pain to recover after a workout, doctors suggest moisturizing the skin before doing the treatment to avoid skin cracks and irritation.
6. Cool The Inflammation With Ice
Inflammation is a localised and natural response to pain, and ice can be an excellent way to deal with discomfort after an exercise. Ice is a frozen form of water that acts as a natural anesthetic and can be easily found in every household. It cools down the inflammation and temporarily numbs it, making the individual forget the pain for a short period. This also reduces the swelling and speeds up the process of recovery. A cool temperature is needed to deliver and increase oxygen production throughout the body.
7. Practice Active Recovery
Active recovery is quite similar to a cooldown exercise. This low exercise can usually be done in ten to fifteen minutes following a strenuous workout.
Many believe that active recovery is better than completely being inactive or performing a complete rest after an exercise. Examples of active recovery include cycling, swimming, jogging, yoga, and stretching. These activities allow the body to adapt to the load received by the body.
8. Engage In Steam Or Heat Therapy
Heat therapy is also known as thermotherapy. This uses a hot towel or a water bottle with medium warm water. One can also use ultrasound heating pads. For the entire body, spending time in a bathtub with warm water can do the trick. In the more sophisticated level, you can use cordless Far Infrared (FIR) heat therapy wraps to generate heat and relieve the pain. This is only done in the sore area of the body after a workout.
Meanwhile, steam therapy is considered a quick form of heat therapy that processes oxygen circulation, detoxification, and overall muscle recovery. It opens paranasal sinuses that become the entrance of heat inside the body for about fifteen minutes and allows the body’s recovery after a workout.
9. Eat Recovery Foods
Food is an essential item needed by the body to continue its chemical processes. Thus, it’s important to refuel the body with proteins and carbohydrates to replace the electrolytes and energy lost after the workout. Major carbohydrates include grains, milk, fruits, and starchy vegetables. They ensure the functions of the heart, nervous system, and kidneys.
Moreover, proteins provide structure for the bones, muscle, and skin. You can get these from meats, dairy products, seafood, and soy. It’s likely to be tiring after a workout, so most trainers suggest creating protein shakes for a quick recovery. These are already packed protein drinks that just need water to be prepared. You may also use natural sources such as fruits which also have natural sugars required by the body.
It’s also normal to crave salty food after a workout. Thus, it’s essential to avoid processed foods that may contain preservatives and other additives. They only provide a temporary feeling of satiation. So go for a banana that can genuinely provide the potassium levels you just lost. Also, avoid fried foods because the high-fat content may delay digestion and make one feel tired instead of satisfied with one’s post-workout high.
While you may not feel hungry after exercise, several health experts advise you to never miss your post-workout meal. Since your body needs replenishment after all of the hard work, it’s essential to get this health protocol taken care of to recover after a workout.
10. Avoid Overtraining
Performing a workout or exercise is needed daily to avoid hypokinetic diseases, reduce inactivity and mitigate body retardation. This doesn’t mean, though, that a person should overtrain.
The key to a better lifestyle is consistency. A non-consistent workout only increases fat storage, for the body fails in adapting to the frequency of a workout. Coaches and studies suggest also to consider even low-intensity exercises frequently so favourable results may follow. This type of exercise allows the body to adapt to the load given. You may experience less soreness. As the body adapts, an increase in load may be given. But still, be careful as too much may cause injury or disability.
Lastly, proper maintenance and healthy lifestyle habits are suggested. This is where the importance of a workout plan comes in, as it allows you to manage the goals and load given to your body as time passes by. There’s a tendency to measure results after every workout, but these results don’t appear quickly. Thus, it’s essential to trust the process, be consistent and accept a workout that your body can handle.
Takeaways
These tips are just some of the many natural ways that may help boost a person’s recovery after a workout. Though it may be tiring and at the time unmotivating, remember that being fit is one of the best ways to feel good about yourself and improve your longevity.
