How To Recovery From Working Out?

Recovery is an important aspect of training that often gets overlooked. We aren't just talking about recovery periods between sets and reps, but recovery as a vital piece of health, and performance. Living with BALANCE is a great value and provide an improved quality of life.

Recovery is the time our bodies need to heal, regenerate, recharge and refresh.

We can look at different ways to implement recovery in our lives for performance and health:

- Sleep (sleep is not for suckers, sleep is not for the dead)
- Programmed REST days from training
- Regeneration i.e. foam rolling, mobility training
- Alone time
- Vacation time
- Technology detoxes/margin
- Meditation
- Hydration

There is a misconception that MORE is better; more training = more gains, more cardio = more weight loss, more busyness = productivity. Actually, sometimes less is more. We cannot keep pushing, pushing, pushing, without giving our mind, and body time to recover, regenerate and refresh. Too much of one thing can tip the scales, so prioritizing recovery is important for a balanced state.

Do you ever take time to slow down, sit, relax?
Or are you always on the go, from one thing to the next?!
Do you ever take time to be with yourself and breath?
Do you ever program a structured intentional rest day into your training?
Or do you work out every day?
Do you program in regeneration and mobility?
Or is weight training your sole focus?
Do you ever spend time undistracted?
Or are you constant screen engagement/distracted?

Recovery is another area that we must consider in performing optimally for life! Did you know SLEEP is considered our #1 performance enhancer?! "Sleep is for suckers" is a quote for suckers. It is imperative for our brains and our bodies to recover, and a part of recovering not only our physical bodies but also our brains and minds is sleep. While we sleep our bodies work on repairs, and also anything we learned, new skills, are solidified while we sleep.

So if you are trying to make behavior changes with things like meditating, working out, gaining new knowledge, learning new skills, locking those new habits in happens while we sleep, new neurons and brain connections are made and secured. Also, taking rest days from working out is crucial to let our bodies heal. Less is more!

You may think that working out 7 days a week, 2 hours a day would be better, but over a certain threshold you are actually increasing your chances for injury! Therefore, sleep, and time to let your body and brain rest are important. You are able to respond better physically, mentally, and emotionally when you have had enough sleep and recovery. Lack of sleep can cause weight gain of 2 LBS in less than one week. -National Academy of Sciences. 7-9 hours/night is ideal! 

-Charissa

Charissa Sutliff is an Online Fitness & Nutrition Development Coach, a Competition Prep Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, and holds a B.S. in Kinesiology. She also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration. She is enthusiastic about faith, working out, healthy nutrition, meditating, learning, growing and coffee!


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