What is Recovery and How Does it Impact Goals? 

“Recovery” is a vague term. In today’s use case, we’ll refer to physical and mental recovery. When you work out, whether it be lifting weights, running, playing sports, etc., you’re breaking muscle fibers down. Muscles, ligaments and tendons all need time to heal and repair prior to the next bout of exercise, especially at higher intensities such as competition prep. Breaking down muscles is essential to promote growth, size and strength over time. The incredible thing about the human body is that we have millions of cells working around the clock to keep us healthy and alive, including repairing the damage done during training.  

Over the last several decades advancements in the recovery sector have skyrocketed. Think about it. Did you know what foam rolling was in high school? Did you ever imagine a time where we’d have compressions boots designed to flush lactic acid to speed up recovery? Remember when your mom told you how important sleep was, and you rolled your eyes? Call her and apologize because every study in the book promotes sleep as the most effective recovery tool.  

Recovery goes beyond the physicality of it all, too. During taxing exercise or movement, your central nervous system is put under stress. That’s not a bad thing and shouldn’t be avoided. We need stress to survive. The important thing is to create the space and time to allow both our body and mind to properly wind down and repair. Failure to do so will lead to higher risk of injury, decreased performance, and a defenseless immune system. If you’re serious about reaching your goals and achieving a healthier life, prioritizing recovery has to be met with the same dedication as your gym and nutrition routine.  

What’s Essential for Good Recovery?  

There are a few core categories in which you can break recovery efforts into: 

1. Sleep 😴 SLEEP IS KING. If you don’t consistently get minimum seven hours per sleep a night stop reading right now and go to bed. Real talk; the rest of this won’t matter until you get a grip on sleep. Doesn’t matter how much you work out, how well you eat, or how many supplements you take; poor sleep will ultimately lead you down a path you’re trying to avoid with all your other efforts. It’s powerful, regenerative, and nonnegotiable. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each night and morning to set your circadian rhythm. Opt for fresh sunlight first thing in the morning before reaching for your phone. No one needs a dose of unwanted cortisol to wake up.  

2. Hydration💧 Cellular health relies heavily on being properly hydrated. Without the right electrolyte balance, your body falls into higher periods of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress will impact your physical and mental recovery and if compounded consistently over long periods of time, can wreak havoc on your overall health. Emphasize pre, intra and post workout hydration and plan your day around water + electrolyte consumption to stay ahead. Hydration goes well beyond the workout.  

3. Stress 😰 Again, placing your body under stress for exercise can be very healthy, only under the condition of not being overly stressed in other parts of your life. If work, relationships or family matters have your emotional and mental stress at a high, aim for low intensity workouts while you sort through it. Take things down a notch, no need to add fuel to the fire. If you’re not experiencing high levels of stress in the areas above, congrats, go crush some reps and push the throttle a bit more. Always take advantage of the good times when they’re present. Here’s your reminder to find a wind down routine at night than can prep your body and mind for a restorative sleep ahead. 

4. Blood Flow 🩸 Crucial for delivering new red blood cells throughout the body for proper recovery efforts to take place. Emphasizing circulation is crucial for healing, tissue functions and overall health. This is where a pair of snazzy compression boots can certainly come in handy, e-stim devices to areas trained that day, vibration plates, or under a professional’s guidance, blood flow restriction therapy to flush in new blood to specific areas. Blood flow is critical for daily recovery and especially important when working through a muscle strain or tear. New blood = faster healing.  

How Can I Get Started? 

There’s no need to flip the script tomorrow. Rather, find one thing you can improve on this week and build from there. Here’s a look at my favorite recovery stack that I’ve developed over the years, in no order. 

Follow along as we continue to provide more tips on training, nutrition, recovery and overall health.