Jaime Robinson, E60 Fitness
When you think of building muscle, working out, or living a fit lifestyle, you probably think about hitting the gym. But did you know that taking time to rest and allow your muscles to recover is as essential to your fitness progress as your workouts? Did you know that the way you rest can also impact the way your muscles recover?
When you lift weights or perform a muscle strenuous workout, the fibers in your muscles are tearing apart. After your workout, you hydrate and eat healthy foods and take the necessary steps to repair those torn fibers and enable them to grow to be a little bigger and stronger. Depending on intensity of workouts, it can take anywhere from 8 hours to 48 hours for your muscles to fully repair. During this recovery time, your muscles may feel sore and worn down. In order to speed up your recovery process, try these tips for faster muscle recovery:
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Your body needs water to flush out toxins and transport healthy nutrients into cells to aid recovery.
Get at least 8 hours of sleep! When you are sleeping, your brain is resting with very little activity, so the blood supply available to your muscles increases, delivering extra amounts of oxygen and nutrients which facilitate their healing and growth.
Get a massage: Studies show that getting a massage after a hard workout can help reduce muscle inflammation, leading to a faster and more efficient recovery time.
Stay Active: When your muscles are sore, you probably want to lay around and take it easy, but that can leave your muscle feeling stiff and even more sore. Studies show that doing low intensity exercise such as walking or swimming is a great way to increase muscle mobility and recovery.
If you’re experiencing intense soreness from a hard workout, make sure to drink your water, get some sleep, and consider booking a massage!