When you’re working out, hustling, trying to lose weight and transform yourself, your body is going through immense stress. If you don’t balance that stress with proper recovery you’ll see slow progress, if any, for fat to come off or muscle put on because your body can’t rebuild and handle it quick enough.
Even you’re iPhone needs to recover (being charged). If a piece of tech needs recovery then a complex human being made of up atoms, living cells, muscle tissues and brains cells definitely does.
This article will cover 10 exercise recovery techniques.
If you can implement some of these, then you may see an increase in your energy levels, focus, productivity, relationships, overall health, weight loss and just plain joy in life.
1. Sleep
I’m sure you know this already and it’s been so discussed that now I’m afraid it may be getting overlooked. Sleep is by far the number 1 way to recover fully and the most important of these exercise recovery tips.
A lack of sleep can cause cortisol to behave irregularly, when cortisol is spiking too much we can get stressed easier. When stressed easier, combined with irregular cortisol levels, our insulin, appetite and hunger hormones increase while our impulse control decreases thus leading to weight gain.
This is like what Fat Bastard says in his clip of why he’s big in the Austin Powers movies: “I can’t stop eating, I eat because I’m unhappy, I’m unhappy because I eat, it’s a vicious cycle.”
You can get better sleep by keeping it chili at night time and an hour before bed staying away from electronic screens or wear blue light blocking glasses to get 7 to 8+ hours of quality sleep. Do this consistently well and you may just shorten your exercise recovery time.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4688585/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4833448/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25913092
2. Water
I know, another super basic element I’m recommending for recovery but just like sleep, hydration needs to be brought up because some people are still dehydrated when there’s no reason we should be in the U.S or other industrialized countries.
Without proper hydration our cognition, memory, focus and energy all decrease while fatigue, negative emotions, like anger or anxiety, and headache occurrence increase.
Drinking more water has also been shown to help with weight loss!
Drink more water is obvious, so yes I recommend that. Also, if drinking enough water is hard then you can find hydration in certain foods. Specifically foods that have a watery gel such as cucumbers, tomatoes, chia seeds and more.
For more on hydration check out the book Quench by Dana Cohen and Gina Bria.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356561/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4901052/
3. BCAA’s
BCAA’s (Branch-Chain Amino Acids) are one of those that have animosity about their usefulness. However, we must know what their purpose is to then be able to measure its effectiveness. They’re best used as a supplement for muscle ache exercise recovery.
They’re not necessarily going to help you grow your muscles but rather stimulate protein synthesis and reduce DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness – pain and discomfort from working out).
There’s a study that shows a group of men receiving BCAA’s and a group of men getting a placebo. The BCAA group reported less muscle soreness the days following a workout.
Imagine feeling less sore from all your working out – it’ll feel better and be more motivating to get your workouts in.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212987/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18974721
4. Creatine
Mirror, mirror on the wall, which natural supplement is the purest of them all?!
After trying it for myself and doing the research, I found that creatine helps with increasing: lean body mass, strength, fatigue resistance and much more.
It’s been shown to help elderly people with daily activities and increase all of the above for them.
While it’s great for elderly people and has some other great recovery benefits, a huge reason it may be good for someone working out regularly is because supplementation of it can help ATP regenerate (recover) faster.
Think about it like RAM in a computer, faster “recovery” of RAM helps us to do more tasks without it slowing down. That’s kind of how faster regeneration of ATP works in the body.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21394604/
5. L-Glutamine
Did you know that over time the lining of your gut can become permeable. As that happens our guts don’t absorb as many nutrients as they should and can cause all kinds of other havoc on our body.
That’s where L-Glutamine comes into play. It’s an amino acid that’s been shown in studies to help keep the gut lining strong and healthy.
Think about it like water pipes in a hospital. They’re essential to keep the patients and staff well hydrated, clean, so disease doesn’t spread, and well taken care of. Over time the pipes may start to get little holes just because of use and decay. So they have to be sure someone’s taking care of patching the little holes up.
Think of that ‘someone’ in our body as L-Glutamine, going and patching up any permeability we may have in our guts.
It’s also been shown to help improve muscle function and reduce muscle soreness.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369670/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8974125
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5694515/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6323061/
6. Massage Gun
I’m sure you’ve seen all the hype from these massage guns hitting the market the past few years. You may be wondering how effective they really are.
Massage guns have been shown to help reduce DOMS.
This is similar to BCAA’s because if your body feels less beat up and less in pain after working out then you may be more inclined to keep it up without dreading the feeling you might experience afterwards. And, who wants to feel sore and tight all the time? Not me.
For me personally, I was unsure about these. But I finally got one for myself, a Hypervolt by Hyperice, and LOVE it! I completely dreaded leg day because of the pain and discomfort just from walking the next day. But since using the massage gun I rarely feel that pain and can easily workout legs twice a week with minimal soreness.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939523/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4127040/
7. Turmeric
Turmeric (curcumin) is an Indian spice well known for its anti-inflammatory effects. It can be used in cooking, drinks and for supplementation in pill form.
It’s been shown to reduce muscle inflammation and soreness. There is a study that took 19 men over 28 days and split them into a group given 1.5g of curcumin and a placebo group.
The outcome is the 1.5g group experienced significantly less muscle soreness than the placebo group.
Just like many of the others on this list of recovery items, turmeric helps with reducing soreness so we don’t have to dread working out and can do it more frequently to lose weight.
I know for me, if I’m feeling sore, fatigued and worn out I’m not going to be very motivated to workout. So anything I can do to recover better, I’m all about.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31025894
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17332159
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802396/
8. Ginger
You know, the stuff that’s served with sushi to cleanse the palate. Also used in Indian dishes, ginger is a root recognized for its flavor in cooking and natural recovery effects.
There have been numerous studies and reviews about the anti-inflammatory effects ginger has. It may also be used to accelerate recovery of muscle strength and reduce DOMS.
I like to cook chicken in ginger and turmeric to make an indian spiced meal sometimes. The two of them taste wonderful together and to know I’m getting incredible health benefits is an added bonus.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5329173/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25787877
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6323061/
9. Cold
It’s been long used as the go-to for post workout recovery for athletes.
There’s also been studies showing cold showers can lead to fewer sick days.
We’re still finding out what exactly cold showers do to the immune system to help this reduction in sick days. In addition, we’ve found they can increase energy, testosterone and metabolism as well as help control blood sugar.
I don’t like the feeling of cold showers, and people that do scare me. So you may be like me, not a total fan of cold showers, I get it, but I know when I do bursts of cold/warm during a normal shower I feel more energized coming out.
I’ll usually shower after my workout. At that point I’m feeling a bit exhausted because I just pumped iron for an hour. If I take a hot shower the only thing I can do is melt on the sofa afterwards. So I know I have to balance hot/cold so I can still be productive.
Resources:
https://hbr.org/2018/03/cold-showers-lead-to-fewer-sick-days
10. Sex
Not only for the obvious feel good effects it has on us but there’s also evidence that sex has incredible health benefits.
During sex your body releases oxytocin (feel good hormone) which can help you have a stronger immune system, get better sleep, have a longer life and reduce your chances of fatal heart failure.
Sex has a positive effect on mental health too. It can help us feel more confident and secure with our body.
Resources:
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/3413/9611/7801/Benefits_Sex_07_07.pdf
https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.94.3.839-844
Conclusion
Recovery is important to us all because no matter our goals if our bodies aren’t properly recovered then losing weight, putting on muscle or feeling good is a moonshot.
We went over 10 ways to get as recovered as possible from exercising, yard work, house work, long days and anything in between. I do these in as many ways as possible to ensure I’m getting my body the care it needs.
To recap, the 10 ways for better recovery are:
- Sleep
- Water
- BCAA’s
- Creatine
- L-Glutamine
- Massage Gun
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Cold
- Sex
Moving forward, choose 2 to 3 of these at a time to focus on and try. For example, work on getting more sleep (this is a ground rule no skipping this), maybe try BCAA’s or creatine and do cold showers after your workout.
If you can manage to get better sleep, hydration and a few other ways here you’ll be well on your way to transform your body.
Disclaimers
I am not a doctor and do not recommend anything on this site, or blog post, for anyone without consulting with their doctor first. Please read the privacy policy for more information.
The information in this article is for educational and entertainment reasons, it should not be interpreted as medical advice or as a recommendation for a specific treatment. Always talk to your doctor and in the event of a medical emergency one should seek the help of a qualified and licensed health care provider.
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