The Best Ways to Accelerate Post Workout Recovery

The aim of any workout is first to keep physically fit then, to burn some calories. During this period of workout, the body may be pushed beyond its limit and as such cause the tissues, muscles, and bones to wear out. A regular and intensive workout is the key to a perfectly shaped body and the height of physical fitness. However, if you will attain this goal and avoid as many injuries as you can, you have to give your muscles and other vital organs time to heal and properly recover. If the correct methods are used, you will be able to fully maximize the healing time and greatly enhance your shape within a twinkle of an eye.

You should consider recovery as an essential part of your healthy lifestyle if body or muscle pains persist for longer than normal. It does not matter if you are a gym/workout fanatic or just a regular runner. Any muscle requires twenty-four (24) to forty-eight (48) hours to repair, rebuild and fully recover. Working it anytime sooner than that can lead to tissue breakdown instead of building and trust me, you really want to avoid that.

Post-workout recovery does not take elaborate and complicated steps, but recovery can happen with a few well-informed ones. Below are some ways to speed up your post-workout recovery:

Refill lost fluids

Water is important to our body. Drinking a lot of water helps the kidney flush out toxins and help you maintain a healthier life. During a workout, you lose a whole lot of fluids as you are exercising, but according to the team at https://cpoe.org/, the most important time to diligently replace these fluids is immediately after the workout. Making this smart decision helps to boost your recovery chances. Water allows for some metabolic functions and allows for nutrient transfer within the body to improve bodily functions. 

Consume healthy recovery foods

After an exhaustive workout, you need to refuel to replace the energy that has been depleted. You do this by eating healthy relief or recovery foods. Do not try to eat junk during workout recovery, you will be doing a lot more harm than good. If possible make your own food timetable. Ideally, you should eat within the next sixty (60) seconds of a workout. E.g a banana and a glass of milk – low-fat milk, Grilled chicken and roasted vegetables to go with it, etc.

Rest and Relax

A lot of rest and relaxation are very important during your workout recovery. Take out time to rest and engage in relaxation activities like “lazing in a pool”, it relaxes your muscles and tissues. Going for a spa treatment with a good massage is not a bad idea either. 

Do not underestimate the power of good night’s sleep, staying on the foam for long hours has a way of soothing and relaxing the muscles. So, if you sleep for five to six hours before, you might want to extend it to between eight and twelve hours.

Keep protein shake handy

Research has proven that taking some certain amount of protein shakes before and after a workout helps to reduce the intensity of the muscle soreness. The ideal ratio of carb to protein is 2:1. This is because protein is the number one nutrient you can infuse into your diet for quick muscle recovery. So, you need to pay attention to your protein intake.

Get an Ice-Pack

Immediately after a thorough workout time, your next point of call should be at the store to get a pack of ice, or better still, take it with you while working out. Using ice is one of the easiest ways to recover quickly from straining your muscles. Ideally, place a pack of ice on the muscle for about twenty minutes.

Apply Muscle ointment

There are particular creams and ointments that are effective for relieving knots in the muscle. These ointments work by ensuring your skin gets cooled first and then warm as well. As a result of this feeling on your skin, you are distracted from feeling all the pains and aches in your muscle and joints after a workout. Apply ointments to relieve sore muscles and watch as it does its wonders.

Use foam rollers

Get yourself wrapped in a foam roller and roll out for some minutes in the morning and evenings. This helps untie some hard knots in the muscle and it is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to do that.

Take a cold bath

I know that sounds scary and difficult to dip your already sore body into cold water, but research has shown that when all else fails or is taking longer than necessary, a cold bath could do the trick. If there is seemingly no visible changes in one to two days of your workout, then you should take a cold bath.

Use compression garments

For athletes, especially runners, it is essential to regain energy to run, jump, throw, or swing quickly. Wearing a compression garment during exercise or workout will help reduce the intensity at which the muscle might go sore and compress the muscle from overstretching and invariably causing the time of recovery to be lengthy.

Adopt proper posture

Post-workout period can be so weakening that you might not pay attention to your sitting, standing and sleeping posture. Meanwhile, your postures matter a lot and will in a way determine the length of your recovery time. As much as you can, avoid maintaining a posture for longer than necessary. Change positions as often as you can while sitting, standing or sleeping.

Do not adopt a posture that will further strain your muscles like bending, sitting straight or sleeping on your side. Rather, lie on your back and let your muscles take some time off work.

It is important to note that you must not be too hasty to get back to the gym, pace yourself and regulate your workout days. At the next workout, do not exercise the same muscles you worked on the last time. Pay attention to another set of muscles, then keep rotating it that way. Before you know it, all the muscles in your body will be well built without overstretching or causing an injury.

Also, you can take pain relief drugs like aspirin but do not make it a custom. Your body should not get used to relief from drugs. Once it gets accustomed to drugs, nothing else will seem to work and that can be deadly for you as an athlete. You can attain that desired body structure without breaking a bone or tearing a muscle, follow the guidelines above and you will be glad you did.