The Importance of Recovery in Exercise

If you have taken the time to come to this blog, then the chances are, you: Love to keep fit, train a number of times a week or maybe you have even signed up for your first ever event. Whichever that may be, each of those places significant demands on our body. Not only that but I expect 99.9% of you unfortunately are not elite athletes who have the luxury of time set aside for recovery.

All have your own daily working lives to consider also. Exercise and training is a hobby and one you juggle around a career and family. So taking this in mind, the stress on our body systems can be considered even greater
The conception is, that more time spent exercising, the increased workouts and greater the number of miles in the tank, the fitter, stronger and quicker we will get. Yes, an element of this is true, but without ample rest and recovery, you are only asking for trouble. Following good recovery protocols while banking all of those mentioned is a necessity and should be considered as important as the training itself.

To continually keep putting the stress of exercise on your body without stopping to allow it to ‘heal and adapt’ is pointless.
In actual fact, it is during the recovery period that the physiological adaptations are enhanced to make you a fitter /stronger/quicker. Its where the body ‘sucks all that work and effort in and those seeds planted, germinate and grow’
Its Imperative Recovery is planned into any training schedules before it’s too late and fatigue takes hold.

Fatigue – I’m so tired even my tiredness is tired !

Prolonged periods of exercise, training with inadequate recovery will dump your body into a great big hole. Fatigue not only hinders your daily life but it will severely compromise the training you undertake and steeply reduce any performance outcomes.

Fatigue is multi-faceted and also subjective; it comes in several forms and can creep on you slowly or hit you like a proverbial bus. Not everybody experience of fatigue is the same.
You can experience any number of fatigues forms:

Metabolic -waste products trapped within over used muscles causing pain and soreness.

Tissue Damage – Injury thus preventing muscle use

Neurological – overwhelming tiredness enough to stop performing normal everyday activities

Psychological – interferes with cognitive and emotional performance including lack of motivation, stress, libido and impaired mental function

Environmental Fatigue – Body’s inability to adapt to changes within it, eg we become more susceptible to infections, dietary issues may occur and other physical issues can occur or be inhibited within the bodies autonomic systems.

In short fatigue takes us down, and once it is identified we are suffering with it its often a case of ‘after the horse has bolted’. We need to address the current situation but more importantly learn and make sure we never encounter it again.

Good recovery practice – ‘ Go hard or Go home, UMMMM No’

It’s easy to get drawn into all the latest trends and fads, especially in the age of influencing and social media. We don’t know what is right and wrong, the fact a well-known sportsperson or athlete may be promoting some gizmo or potion, doesn’t mean its good. Remember they are being paid to do so and generally when you cross their hands with silver, they will promote anything.

So, within all that noise, what can be described as the best Recovery protocols and ones we should be implementing?
Well surprisingly enough the imperative ones are absolutely free (to a certain extent) and can be done in our own homes and adhered to daily!
They are: ample Sleep/Rest, Good nutrition and ensuring always hydrated.
Anything else can be considered supplementary, is usually subjective and all have their pros and cons.

Sleep/ Rest
This is essential and where the body recovers and regenerates (where we soak all the good work up). Not just getting ample sleep ( 8 hours daily) but also taking time out is highly important. Take time out, build in rest days to your schedule and treat yourself. A dramatic drop in performance and significant lingering of fatigue is a signal you are over training. Your body is now screaming for rest.

Good nutrition
“What you put in the machine makes a huge difference to what you get out.” A good balanced diet is also imperative, it’s impossible to drive performance with crap.
I’m not a nutritionist but we all know what is considered ‘good for us’ and considered ‘bad for us. I’m not saying become obsessive with your diet as that has major downfalls on its own, but airing on the side of ‘healthy’ is the best option, yet don’t forget to treat yourself now and then.
Just like a car, the further you push your body the more fuel it needs. It wont run on empty and definitely won’t recover,by taking it into the red then you’re slipping back into that hole .
N.B Consuming carbohydrates and protein after training/exercise is imperative (within 40 mins). Ideally, a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein is the suggested norm. This helps the muscles rebuild and regenerate.

Good Hydration
You should be already taking in fluids during the day at least 1.5- 2 litres a day (tea coffee ), but its vitally important to consume more water and sports drinks during exercise, as we need to replace the fluids lost . Studies prove even being slightly dehydrated can affect performance. Research indicated that runners who only replaced 75 percent of their sweat lost during exercise, were 3 percent slower than when they rehydrated over 100 percent.
Remember the body is 70% water, the moment it drops below that level it becomes unbalanced and inefficient.
NB .Tea/ Coffee/ sugary and fizzy drinks don’t count as good hydration

The following are methods considered by some to be beneficial , they are subjective and may not be backed by science , but in my opinion if they make you feel better then why not .

Ice (cryotherapy)
Icing, old fashioned but time-tested method of recovery. Exercise can cause a lot of inflammation in the connective tissues in your limbs, this is where overuse injuries often happen. By reducing the blood flow through icing or an ice bath, that inflammation is reduced.

Massage
If you can afford and have access to a fully qualified Sports Therapist or Massage Therapist it could be worth every penny. They can help alleviate and remove tension and metabolic compounds which become locked into your muscles after exercise. Alternatively, there are methods you can use at home e.g A Foam Rollers,massage guns etc

Recovery Supplements
Are just that, a supplement should not be used as a replacement to decent diet. They enable us to get the further protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals into the body needed when training. But all of those can be found in a good healthy diet. If I was to suggest the best supplements to take alongside, I would suggest a good quality Whey protein after exercise and a fish oil taken daily.

Gentle walk / swim/ or static bike
Good practise and utilised in elite sport, gentle muscle use helps drive metabolic compounds produced during exercise (waste product) out of the muscles and secreted from the body. But don’t go to hard or too far, ‘gentle’ is the key word.

Compression wear
Again increases pressure around muscles which promotes blood flow again aiding reduction in metabolic.

Warm Bath
Increases blood flow again, relaxes muscles body and mind. Why not jump in and Relax.
Whether you choose to utilize all or just a couple of these recovery methods, you are likely to notice improvements almost immediately. Keep in mind that whether you down a recovery shake, hop in an ice bath, or commit to a foam-rolling regimen, small changes in your approach to recovery can equal big improvements in performance and wellbeing.