Any training programme that is successful must include rest and recovery time. They are also the least thought out and underused methods of performance improvement. You might not be aware of the distinction between rest and recuperation or how to apply them both effectively.
158 non-training hours, or 95% of your time, are available to you if you train for 10 hours every week. Why do you arrive to your workout drained and where does all this “extra” time go? Rest is the easiest to comprehend and put into practise because it may be most simply stated as a combination of sleep and downtime. It’s crucial how you spend this time and how you sleep.
However, recovery refers to methods and measures used to speed up your body’s healing. These include time spent standing up instead of sitting or lying down, hydration, diet, posture, heat, ice, stretching, self-myofascial release, stress management, and compression.
Recovery has several facets and goes beyond only repairing muscles. Chemical and hormonal balance, nervous system repair, emotional state, and other factors all play a role in recovery.
7 essential elements of rest and recovery
1. Sleep
Sleep is the most important time to recover. Adequate levels of sleep help to provide mental health, hormonal balance, and muscular recovery. You need to get enough sleep, which is between seven to ten hours for most athletes. Everyone has individual needs based on their lifestyle, workouts, and genetic makeup.
Hours slept before twelve at night are proven to be more effective than those slept after. Sleep in the most natural setting possible, with minimal to no artificial lights. Wakeup with the sun if possible. Fresh air and cooler temperatures help to improve the quality of sleep.
2. Hydration
Drinking adequate amounts of water is critical to health, energy, recovery, and performance. Athletes tend to be very attentive to hydration levels close to and during competitions, but keeping that awareness during training and recovery times can make just as large an impact. Water helps all of our functions. A few examples are more efficient nutrient uptake, lower levels of stress on the heart, improved skin tone, and better hair quality.
The simplest way to check hydration is to look at your pee. If it is clear to pale yellow you are hydrated. The darker and more color in your pee the less hydrated you are and more water you need to drink.
3. Nutrition
Everything you eat has the ability to help heal your body, or to poison it. This may sound strong, but alcohol and processed foods contain toxins and are harmful to the body. Eating clean and balanced meals in moderation is proven to be effective to remain healthy and increase performance.
Dairy and wheat are processed differently by everyone and you need to educate yourself on these topics and how they personally affect you. Some people process these food items very well and have no side effects, while other people have slight to severe autoimmune reactions.
4. Posture
This is one of the least focused on areas in the culture. We on average spend more time sitting on a chair, and as a general trend have bad posture. This is not a restful position; sitting or standing with bad posture is harmful. It can lead to back or neck pain, specifically for those with desk jobs. Find a chair that is ergonomically correct.
If you struggle to sit upright use a foam roller or ball in your back to give you a tactile cue and help force good posture. Don’t lean to one side or on an object for support while standing.
5. Stretching
You need enough flexibility to move well and remain pain free. Include dynamic stretching in your warm-ups while saving static stretching for after your workouts. Attempt to self-identify tight areas and work on them. Don’t get caught doing the exact same stretches you’ve always done.attend a yoga class or check some of my previous blogs where I have mentioned various excerises for men and women.
6. Self-Myofascial Release (Self-Massage)
Tight muscles and trigger points sometimes need assistance to return to healthy normal tissue. This method can be performed with a foam roller, lacrosse ball, Theracane, or your own hands. By applying pressure to specific points on your body you are able to aid in the recovery of muscles and assist in returning them to normal function. Normal function means your muscles are elastic, healthy, and ready to perform at a moment’s notice.
7. Heat, Ice And Compression
Use these techniques for recovering from injuries or a very stressful training or racing experience such as a road marathon or the CrossFit Games. Spending some additional time focusing on rest and recovery can pay dividends beyond additional training time. It’s essentially legal performance enhancement, yet people don’t take advantage of it because it takes time.
Dedicating additional time primarily to the three categories of sleep, hydration, and nutrition will increase your output ability, decrease recovery time, and lower your risk of injury. Don’t ignore your body until it becomes too late and you’re forced to take unnecessary time off due to injury, burnout, or worse.