The Best Bang for Your Buck Recovery Tools
Recovery is a hot topic in the fitness space. Whether it’s supplements, mobility tools, or of course, CBD cream, the market is flooded with hacks and magic pills to speed up the recovery process.
Recovering from training is essential. Working out is a stressor that challenges the body. It is the process of recovering that builds a stronger, faster, fitter you. But reaching for an expensive supplement shake may or may not be necessary for your recovery needs.
At OPEX Fitness Bristol, we believe in keeping things simple and effective. We promote the best bang for your buck recovery tools and make sure they are adhered to before seeking out marginal gains from recovery hacks.
Our four favorite recovery tools are as follows:
1) Gentle movement like walking, stretching, or swimming
While it may be tempting to stay on the couch the day after a challenging workout, often the best thing to do for sore muscles is gentle movement. Easy walking, stretching, swimming, or biking are activities that help promote blood flow, so that your body can transport the oxygen and nutrients it needs to rebuild and repair.
2) Plenty of sleep
Sleep is absolutely critical for recovering from strength and conditioning workouts. When we sleep our body works away at producing hormones and running processes that help us adapt and recover from our training sessions.
A poor night’s sleep will not only hamper recovery, it will also negatively affect your ability to perform in the coming days. Learn how to upgrade your sleep hygiene practices in this blog.
3) A variety of high-quality foods
Consuming a wide variety of healthy fats, protein, and carbohydrates to match your activity level and goals is essential for recovery. The amino acids found in protein are the building blocks for new muscle tissue, adequate fat supports hormonal health, and carbs replenish energy lost from intense exercise. In addition, making sure there is plenty of variety in foods will provide you with a wide array of micronutrients and vitamins which all support different processes of recovery, from detox to bone health to muscle building to fat loss!
4) Proper hydration
Drinking adequate water throughout the day is our final essential recovery tip. Replacing fluids lost during a training session as well as maintaining your baseline of hydration will keep your cells hydrated, help flush metabolic waste from training, and ensure your body can execute all necessary functions.
We recommend half your bodyweight in oz of water per day as a starting point. For example, a 200lb individual should start with 100oz daily at a minimum.
If you want to recover better from your workouts and achieve better results, make sure you’re adhering to these four simple tools. Shakes and creams have a place, but they are the cherry on top for recovery and not the foundation!
At OPEX Fitness Bristol we take a “fundamentals over flash” approach to everything. From exercise to nutrition to lifestyle, we make sure you own the basics before moving on to more advanced, often more expensive, options.