Recovery – Part deux

Somebody's legs on ice

In last Friday's blog I talked about the importance of getting adequate rest and recovery from your workouts, or in some cases, mental stress-causing activities. The methods may depend on whether the fatigue is resulting from physical or mental stress, but often the two are linked. In Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the World’s Best Athletes, author Greg Wells outlines seven steps to recovery and regeneration for the body. As it turns out, they are not all that different from the steps everyday athletes use. Some of these tips can work well for mental stress as well. Here they are:

1. Breathe – 60 seconds slow, deep breathing. Practice breathing in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4.
2. Active Recovery (cool down) – 5 minutes after an easy workout; 10 minutes after a moderate session; 15 minutes after hard training
3. Rehydrate – 1 litre water per kilogram of bodyweight lost; or 1 litre of water per hour of work
4. Refuel – eat a carbohydrate and protein snack in a 1:4 ratio within 30 minutes to one hour of working out. If there is another event within 48 hours then complete steps 5 and 6, if not got to step 7.
5. Take a cold bath or shower – 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off (x2); or use a cold compress on the affected muscles.
6. Wear compression gear for 2 or 3 hours – compression socks or sleeves are designed to become tighter the farther away from the heart; say, tighter around the ankle than the knee
7. Get a weekly massage (or as often as time and finances permit) – massage therapy decreases levels of cortisol (the hormone associated with stress) and reduces muscle soreness and inflammation

I get a massage once a month and find it is helpful for maintenance and addressing minor injuries.

Determining the right amount of fluid to drink during and after exercise is highly individual and depends on the type and intensity of the workout, as well as the air temperature and humidity, and your size and sex. Pure water is recommended for any workout lasting up to one hour. Sports drinks are recommended for training or competition lasting longer than one hour to replenish carbohydrate, and electrolytes lost in perspiration. Electrolytes also help the body absorb the fluids into the cell wall. The best indicator of proper hydration is the colour of your urine. A light-coloured, diluted urine usually means you are well hydrated; dark-coloured, concentrated urine usually means you are dehydrated. Staying hydrated requires constant attention. I have found it very easy to forget to drink enough throughout a busy day and have to make up for it later. I find having two glasses of water upon rising gives me a head start on the day.

As I abhor the thought of getting into a cold bath or shower, I personally don’t follow this practice but in the summer I find a swim in cold water therapeutic for tired legs. There is a swimming hole in the Catskills that is 10°C in the middle of July! I love to jump in if the air temperature is in the thirties.

I haven’t found compression gear that fits (they must be so tight it is a fight to get them on!) but my husband wears compression tights or socks after every hard workout. They can be very helpful if you are sitting in a car or plane for long periods before or after a hard bike ride or any hard workout. They help to keep the blood flowing while the muscles are at rest. 

So much can be said about breathing, that I will leave this topic for another day. Until then, work out hard, cool down, breath, drink, refuel, compress, massage, and repeat.