5 Important Keys to Exercise Recovery
by Nate Solomon
 Even
though you may be physically active, sometimes you may feel run down
and out of energy. Here are five important areas of exercise recovery
to help you remain optimally fit:
Exercise Recovery
1. Make sure to get enough rest. You know your body. If you're feeling
run down and out of energy all the time, the first thing to look at
is the amount of rest you're getting.
As it gets hotter outside and you have more daylight to play with,
you may tend to try and do too much in one day. Your body has to recuperate
and requires sleep time. Try to shoot for at least 8 hours per night.
Maybe your body only requires 7; that's fine, just keep tuned to your
body's queues and recognize that you may need more. Without adequate
rest, you'll be more susceptible to getting sick and will definitely
not maximize your muscular and cardiovascular conditioning.
2. Nutrition is vital to recovery. You have to give your body the
right kind of nutrients at the right time.
There are two, maybe three, critical timings for eating. The first
is after you've been sleeping all night. You need to fuel-up your
body. A well-balanced meal is a necessity. If you don't put fuel in
your body when your tank is empty, your body will start breaking down
muscle for its needed energy requirement.
The second is the post-workout meal. Within 30 minutes, you need
at least some type of carbohydrate to start replenishing your lost
glycogen stores. A piece of fruit, glass of juice, sports drink, etc.
Since your muscles have been worked, it's also important to get some
protein. Optimally, you need a meal that contains 3 grams of carbohydrate
for every 1 gram of protein.
You also need to eat to fuel your workouts. About an hour to an
hour and a half before working out, eat a moderate carbohydrate, low
protein meal to fully saturate your glycogen muscle stores.
3. Stretching is another good recovery technique to get in the habit
of doing. Before heavy exercise, stretching gets blood flowing into
your muscles and prepares them for activity. After exercise, stretching
facilitates the movement of lactic acid (the by-product of energy
production) out of your muscles and into your blood system to get
broken down and passed out of your body. The lactic acid build-up
is what causes muscles to become sore. So..you want to do whatever
possible to shuttle that bad stuff out of your muscle cells. Another
good technique is massaging the muscles you just worked.
4. Be aware of the duration and intensity of your exercise sessions.
You know when you get a good workout; you can feel it. It's a great
sense of accomplishment. However, it is smarter and better for your
body in the long run to factor in some lighter exercise sessions.
Never dramatically increase the intensity of a workout. Especially
in the case of cardiovascular training, you should not increase the
intensity more than 10% per week. To do so would only be asking for
an injury. Of course, the more "in shape" you are the better
your body will be able to handle an intense workout.
5. A variety of supplements can help your body recover after a strenuous
workout. They range from electrolyte/carbohydrate replacement drinks,
meal replacement drinks, protein drinks. And, don't forget the numerous
different kinds of energy/protein/replacement bars.
Personally, I use meal replacement drinks and energy/protein bars
on a routine basis. Realistically, it's almost impossible to get good
nutrition without having some kind of "easy fix" supplement
at least during those inconvenient situations.
Follow these five principles on a regular basis to maintain your
optimal health and fitness.
© 2002 Nate Solomon. Used with permission
Nate Solomon has been a fitness/health enthusiast for over 20
years. A Certified International Sports Science Association (ISSA)
Fitness Trainer, he has extensive knowledge in health and fitness
through reading and personal application and has trained for weight
loss/gain, a marathon, team sports and 100-mile bike rides. Check
out his site Simplified
Fitness.
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