HOW TO PERFECT YOUR RECOVERY ROUTINE

During exercise, your muscles have to work overtime. The strain this places on them creates microscopic tears in your muscle tissue. Recovery - by which we mean rest and refuelling - enables cells called fibroblasts to repair these tears and strengthen your muscles over time (source).

So, whether you're training for an ultra-marathon or taking part in a casual after-work 5-a-side game, having a productive post-exercise recovery routine is key to preventing muscle damage and helping you build up your fitness in a healthy and constructive way.  

1. PLAN YOUR EXERCISE

When planning out your exercise schedule, the biggest mistake you can make is not accounting for rest days. Your recovery routine hinges on you incorporating rest time into your plan. Ideally a rest day every 3-5 days prevents your body from going into deficit, when more damage is being done to your muscles than your body has time to repair and strengthen. 

2. HYDRATE

Even novice exercisers know that you should stay hydrated before and after exercise, both to regulate your body temperature and to restore water/minerals lost during exertion. But did you know that milk is actually better than water for post-workout hydration? Unlike water, milk contains electrolytes, which help restore your fluid balance and fast-track recovery (source).

3. REMEMBER TO COOL DOWN

Cooling down after a work out or sport session gives your body the chance to return your heart rate, temperature and blood pressure to their normal levels. Also, while you exercise, your body builds up lactic acid - which is what causes muscle cramps and stiffness - so stretching out your muscles at the end of the session helps you feel more gains, less pains the next day (source).

4. REFUEL TO AID RECOVERY

We all know that exercise and a balanced diet go hand-in-hand for a healthy lifestyle. But it's not just before your workout that you need to think carefully about nutrition to fuel success. The key post-exercise combo is CARB + PROTEIN, ideally in the ratio of 3:1. Your muscles rapidly use carbohydrates in the form of glycogen to fuel your exercise, meaning you need to replenish your stocks afterwards. Protein then provides the raw materials your body needs to repair muscle damage. 

5. GET MORE SLEEP

Did you know that people who exercise more need more sleep than those that don't? Well, the reason for that is rooted in recovery. It is during sleep that those handy fibroblasts get to work repairing any tiny muscular tears your workout may have caused.

Repair Muscles

Protein provides your muscles with the amino acids necessary to repair any post-exercise muscular damage or strain. This will particularly help minimise soreness and get you ready to go again sooner  (source).

Replenish energy stores

Protein also gives your body what it needs to build tissue, improve your exercise capacity and ward off fatigue, meaning that a protein shake approx. 30 minutes after your training will stop you feeling tired for as long (source).   

Prepare for next time

Not only does protein help repair muscles, but it helps strengthen and build them ahead of your next training session. This is part of why your stamina and strength grow over time as you keep exercising regularly (source).