If you exercise regularly, be it for muscle strength, weight loss, improved energy, or some other reason besides, you may be used to the occasional bout of pain after your workout sessions. As such, you will appreciate the need to give your body time to recover afterwards. If you don’t include post-workout recovery into your routine, you won’t give your body time to heal.
This is one reason why it’s important to give your body time to recover. Certain types of exercise will create micro-tears in your body and this can cause your muscles to become swollen and inflamed. These tears will grow if you don’t take time out to rest and they could cause further damage to your body.
Other Reasons Why Post-Workout Recovery Is Important
You will reduce the risk of an injury
As we have established, you can do further damage to your body if you push it more than it can stand. You can also become more tired and the exhaustion you feel could cause you to lose concentration and focus when you’re working out. Tiredness and lack of energy will also prevent your body from moving as it should. As a consequence of these factors, you run the risk of an injury when you’re working out.
You will improve your performance
If your performance is important to you, and you are constantly trying to reach new targets, you will achieve a better performance if you have given your body time to rest. This is because rest can improve muscle strength and give you more energy, so you have a better chance of out-performing yourself the next time you’re active.
You will have more incentive to exercise
If your body is constantly aching, you will be less likely to resume your regular workout activities. This is bad news. especially if you’re in training for something. The pain you feel might even be enough to put you off exercise for the long term, especially if you’re a fitness beginner who is just getting started. However, if your body has rested and your joints have healed, you will be more inclined to put your training shoes on again and resume your fitness regime.
Post-Workout Recovery
After exercising, it is important to refuel your body. Hydrate it with water to make up the fluids you have lost after sweating it out and eat muscle-recovery foods to recover the energy stores that need replenishing.
During your recovery time, it’s important to rest and relax. This will give your body time to heal and regain energy and you will feel less pain as a result.
If you are experiencing pain, there are a number of things you can do to ease it and reduce inflammation. A warm or cold compress on your aching joints can work wonders, and certain products, such as this CBD Muscle Balm can also prove effective. You could also try self-massage or seek the services of a massage professional.
It’s still okay to exercise a little during your recovery time, especially if you are taking a rest day, but you don’t want to do anything too strenuous. A few gentle stretches should be enough to keep your body mobile so try these in between your moments of rest and relaxation.
Finally
Exercise is good for you but to ensure your body has time to rest and heal, always give it time to recover. This applies immediately after your exercise routine although you should also commit to a rest day each week for further healing. By doing so, you will prepare yourself for your next workout session and reduce the risk of injury or exercise fatigue.