Athletes and fitness enthusiasts aim to become faster, leaner, stronger versions of themselves. All those hours spent working out on the court, field or the gym can cause unwanted stress on the body. To reach your fitness goals, you must put your body through strenuous workouts. Tough workouts tend to fatigue your muscles by causing micro-tears to the muscle tissues. This damage can lead to inflammation and fluctuation of hormone and enzyme levels. These changes are what lead to progress over time – causing improved cardiovascular health, fat loss and improved strength. However, when you don’t take time to incorporate recovery into your fitness routine, you could be doing your body more harm than good. Keep reading to learn how you can recover after your next intense workout session.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep assists muscle tissue repair after a workout by aiding in new muscle growth. When you’re asleep, your body produces human growth hormone (HGH), a natural muscle-building hormone. Additionally, blood flow to your muscles increases during sleep which is critical to growing new muscle tissue. An added benefit of getting enough sleep each night, between 7 to 9 hours, is that your muscle coordination increases. With all those training hours spent at the gym, you are sure to sleep like a baby!
Incorporate Active Recovery
Active recovery is light exercise during your recovery period. Exercises like yoga, a brisk walk, and swimming are perfect recovery activities because they are low impact and increase blood flow to your muscles. Stimulating blood flow means reduced muscle pain and decreased recovery time.
Eat the Right Foods
During your workout, your body uses glycogen for fuel resulting in depletion of glycogen stores in your muscles. Also, proteins in your muscles get damaged and broken down. After your workout, it is a good idea to eat a meal that contains both protein and carbs - a 3:1 carb to protein ratio is ideal. Your post-workout meal will build muscle proteins and amplify glycogen storage. Chicken breast, rice, sweet potatoes, white fish and cruciferous vegetables are all great post-workout meal options!
Drink Water
When we exercise, we produce sweat to help cool our bodies. High-intensity workouts like cardio can leave you drenched from head to toe. To prevent dehydration, be sure to drink plenty of water. Dehydration can increase muscle soreness which can slow your recovery time. Drinking plenty of water can also help flush toxins from your body which can help you feel more energized and alert. There is not an exact rule for how much water you should drink each day, but drinking approximately half your body weight in ounces of water is a great place to start
Soothe Sore Muscles with A Pain Relief Patch
To ease the muscle soreness that results from a strenuous workout, try the SINSINPAS Pain Relieving Patch. Our convenient, easy-to-use patch offers pain-fighting anti-inflammatory properties. SINSINPAS on-the-go formula is non-greasy and offers the pain relief you need to get back into the gym!
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