The Importance of Rest and Recovery
As we enter the “deload” Recovery phase of our 10 week training cycle, I really want to focus on how important recovery component of training is, as the benefits can be just as important as the training itself!
Athletes understand the importance of exercise training for optimal performance and improvement. However, rest and recovery is also an important aspect of an exercise program because it allows the body time to repair and strengthen itself in between workouts. It also allows us to recover, both physically and mentally.
What happens during the recovery period? The body is allowed to adapt to the stress associated with exercise, replenishes muscle glycogen (energy stores) and provides time for the body tissue to repair.
There are two different categories of recovery:
Immediate or short-term recovery – This is the most common form of recovery and occurs within hours after an exercise session or event.
Long-term recovery – This refers to recovery periods that are built into a seasonal training schedule and may include days or weeks incorporated into an annual program – this is why we have designated DeLoad week every 10 weeks here at ReDefined.
Sleep is another important aspect of rest and recovery when it comes to performance. If you are sleep deprived you are at risk of losing aerobic endurance and may experience subtle changes in hormone levels, which can lead to higher levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) as well as a decrease in human growth hormone, which is active during tissue repair.
Along with sleep , Here are our top 5 recovery tips!
1 Infra Red Sauna
An infrared sauna is highly beneficial post-workout because the sweat your body generates from a sauna session facilitates the body's detoxification process by penetrating the body at the cellular level, while the infrared heat aids with muscle recovery and helps alleviate muscular pain after exercise.
2 Refuel straight after training
The sooner you can eat and drink after training, the faster your body will start to recover. Having some protein and carbohydrate within 20 minutes of training is ideal, followed by a proper meal when time allows.
3 Rest your brain
Mental down-time and recovery is as important as physical rest. Training can be tough, and you need to be mentally fresh to do it. If you’re mentally burnt-out, you won’t feel like training even if your body is rested. Think about incorporating some mindfullness, with some Meditation and Yoga,
4 Keep an eye on how you feel
Self-monitoring is a useful way to spot problems early. Your resting heart-rate, enthusiasm for training, mood, energy levels, changes in body weight, and sleep quality are all parameters that can be used to monitor yourself and judge whether or not you are getting enough rest.
5 - Listen to your body
Feeling sore? Feeling tired? Stressed out? We need to listen to our bodies and the signals they give us.... so if you are feeling any of these why not do some Yoga or Pilates instead? Take a rest if you are feeling too sore. Allow yourself to come back stronger!
This week we encourage all of our tribe so slow down a little bit, do some Yin Yoga or some of Bex's amazing restorative based sessions, as well as 1-2 Sauna sessions.
If you are feeling really brave go jump in the ocean for 10 minutes, the benefits of cold water therapy in recovery are massive!
Have a great week
Jimmy - ReDefined Founder
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