10 top tips to help you recover faster after exercise
When you leap into a new exercise routine, you may well get aching muscles after the first few times you train.
In fact people often decide to abandon their new routine because of the pain that they endure during the days after their first sessions. So, what can we do to minimise the ache and speed the recovery of our muscles so that we are ready to train again?
1. Keep hydrated
Plenty of water, before, during and after your exercise will help your whole body to bounce back! Exercising with dehydrated muscles causes more damage to the muscle tissue.
2. Push the barrier, don’t annihilate It
Don’t push yourself too far, especially on the first few sessions!
3. Plan your nutrition in advance
Make sure your breakfast is protein rich to avoid food cravings later in the day. If you plan to exercise early in the morning plan a light protein rich snack before bed. This will also help your muscles recover overnight. Potassium rich foods like bananas are a beneficial snack at any time!
4. NEVER Skip The Stretching
If you are doing one of our training programmes we would not let you get way with skipping the stretching. Your body will thank for pre and post exercise stretching. and don’t rush it, take your time this step is an important part of your wind down.
5. Listen to music!
Music can help in two ways firstly, to motivate you through your exercise routine and it can also help your body to recover after exercise? Relaxing music can help to slow the heart rate and reduce blood pressure after exercise
6. Foam rolling is your friend
Much of the pain from exercise occurs when are muscles become knotted. Rolling out the muscles with a foam roller can help alleviate these knots and the pain that comes with them. Check out our Foam rolling videos here.
7. SLEEP!
If you can fit it in to your schedule a 2 hour daytime nap will help your body to recover. During a 2 hour nap your body will enter a deep restorative sleep. If you can’t fit in a nap then an early night will help. Avoiding phone and computer screens for an hour before bed will help you to drift off.
8. Ice bath?
If you are feeling tough, hopping in a bath filled with cold water and ice will actually help your muscles to recover.
9. Cut back on the alcohol!
Even one or two drinks after exercising reduces the bodies ability to recover.
10. Drink some cherry juice
Tart Cherry juice is proven to reduce swollen muscles.
