Exercise Recovery - Waste of Time or More Important than Training?
I know what you’re thinking…
“Ugh, she’s going to try and convince me to stretch.”
If THAT'S your mindset around recovery, you need this article. So read up hun.\
Is this you?
You’re not making time to stretch after exercising.
You’re ignoring pains and aches you get during your workouts.
You figure since stretching and foam rolling don’t burn calories they’re a waste of time.
You think if you’re not sweating, it’s not working.
You believe waking up to workout is more important than sleep.
You workout to be able to eat, instead of eating to fuel your workouts.
These are all things people that don’t understand how important recovery is have said.
I know it feels really hard to devote time to “recovering.”
I know it almost feels like you’re “wasting time.”
Let me tell you this though, if you’re not recovering well, you are kind of wasting your time.
Ok, fine, you’re not wasting your time, that was a little brash, but you are making it much harder for yourself to get the progress you want over time. You’re working against yourself if you don’t focus on recovery.
The better you recover, the better you’ll get at your workout.
The better you get at your workout, the faster you can progress and get the results you want.
You know how looking back, you wish you would have taken more advantage of all the naps you were allowed to have while you were a kid? Well, the same goes for recovering. We all think we’re invincible, so we don’t until we’re older and now we’re feeling a little bit of pain here and there. Our joints are a bit achier. We get injured more often. Damn, wish I would have focused on recovering more when I was younger.
Here’s WHY recovery is so important…
To enhance your personal fitness, you have to put your body through stress (more specifically, eustress - moderate or normal psychological stress interpreted as being beneficial for the experiencer). Any intense exercise you do (weight lifting, running, HIIT, etc.) exposes the body to this stress. Now, what’s more important than putting the body through stress is how your body recovers from that stress. Your body has to learn how to adapt to that stress, or it'll always stay stressed and it’ll negatively impact your performance.
Here’s something most people don’t know:
The results you’re working for during your workout, are actually not made during your workout. Say whhaaattt?!
Your workout is setting the stage, it’s tearing those muscle fibers so that you they can heal and grow, but if you don’t promote an environment for healing, they won’t. Your muscles don't actually grow while you are working out; they grow while you’re healing in between sessions, so that the next time you workout, you can perform better.
So, what does recovery look like?
Recovery includes things like:
Nutrition (Building muscle requires a lot of energy, from, you guessed it, food.)
Sleep (Too many essential functions happen during sleep to list here.)
Stretching (Flexibility is needed to maintain a full range of motion. If muscles get short and tight they’ll become weak and unable to extend all the way).
Mobility (Mobility is essential for joint health and to decrease injury. What is the point in having muscle if you can’t use it properly.)
Here’s the truth:
Over-training and under-recovering WILL negatively impact your personal fitness and health.
It can compromise your immune system, make you feel exhausted and cause chronic joint and muscle pain. Which… is quite literally the opposite of what we’re trying to do.
We’re in this for the long haul, so please be responsible for your own body.
Know that it needs to reset and it needs recovery.
Don’t be a peak performance chaser. Be someone who trains responsibility.
You only have this one body, take care of it, so it can take care of you.
So what can you do?
Make sure you're eating enough food (eat when you're hungry).
Make sure you're eating nourishing protein, carbs and fat at every meal.
Take 10-15 min to warm-up (light cardio, stretching, mobility) before exercising.
Take 10-15 min to cool-down (stretching, mobility) after exercising.
Stay hydrated - 64oz a day is a good place to start.
Give yourself at LEAST one full rest day a week.
Add in one yoga class each week.
Make sure you're getting enough good quality sleep.
Dedicate one day a week to foam rolling, stretching and mobility work.
Choose one or a few that you want to start doing this week!
If you’re looking for a safe space where you'll receive support and guidance in achieving your health goals, you're right where you need to be :) Submit a client application to receive your free 15 min consultation with me. I work with clients all over the world helping those who are frustrated and confused become empowered and confident - changing their relationship with food, fitness and most importantly, themselves.
Hi, I’m Azul Corajoria, an Integrative Health Coach, Personal Trainer & Yoga Instructor. I support my clients in making step-by-step changes so that they can live a healthy and balanced life. By recognizing the interdependent roles of mindset, nutrition, and movement I educate and hold my clients accountable for achieving their health goals through lifestyle and behavior adjustments with an emphasis on self-care. Together, we navigate the contradictory world of nutrition through intuitive eating, practice mindful movement, and implement small mindset and lifestyle shifts that empower them to be their best selves in the easiest way possible.
Cover Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash
