Rebuild & Recharge: Why Recovery Matters
Happy National Fitness Month! While we embrace all things fitness all year round, May is a special month to celebrate the importance of movement and exercise and our fitness communities. During the month of May, each of our weekly blogs will focus on fitness topics to help inspire, inform, and support you on your fitness journey.
This week, we’re focusing on something just as important as your workout itself—recovery! Okay, so what exactly does recovery have to do with fitness? Why aren’t we sticking to writing about exercise routines, fitness classes, and weight room workouts?
For National Fitness Month, we want to think outside the box and embrace fitness topics that are commonly overlooked. While the culture is beginning to shift more focus onto the importance of recovery, it tends to be one of those aspects of a good fitness routine that people tend to forget.
But the truth is, if you want to get the most out of your workouts, recovery is a must and even leads to faster progress. Think of your body like a sports car. Would you drive it hard every single day without ever stopping for maintenance or refueling? Probably not. Your body needs the same level of care and attention. While pushing your limits in the gym is great for your mind and body, it’s equally as important to make time to repair and rejuvenate.
How Recovery Works
Recovery is not just about taking a break; it’s about enabling your body to repair, grow, and come back stronger. It even affects your mental and emotional health. Let’s look at some of the basics (and get a little science-y for all the biology nerds out there).
Catabolic and Anabolic States
Exercise puts your body in a catabolic state, where fat loss and muscle breakdown occur. Recovery shifts your body into an anabolic state, where muscle repair and growth happen. Balancing these states through proper rest and nutrition is crucial for optimal fitness progress.
Muscle Repair and Growth During Rest
When you exercise, especially during high-intensity workouts or weight training, you create small tears in your muscle fibers. These microtears are a natural part of the muscle-building process. During rest, your body goes to work repairing these tears through a process called protein synthesis. This is when your body increases the production of proteins to rebuild the damaged muscle fibers. This repair process is when muscles actually grow, becoming stronger and larger in response to the stress placed upon them during exercise.
Hormonal Effects
Cortisol, a stress hormone, rises during intense exercise. Without proper recovery, elevated cortisol levels can lead to chronic stress, muscle breakdown, and impaired immune function. Recovery helps normalize cortisol levels and supports the release of growth hormone, which is vital for muscle repair and growth.
Reduce Stress & Prevent Burnout
We all know that rest is important for our mental health, but do you know just how important? Research shows that when we rest, our brains are actually anything but idle. Resting allows our brains to pause and make sense of the world, subconsciously work through problems, and replenish our mental resources. In fact, studies have even shown that taking naps during the day improves concentration and memory!
Effective Recovery Practices
So, what is the best way to rest and recover? Well, that looks a little different for everyone. Everyone’s body needs different amounts of rest and will react uniquely to different practices, but there are some tried-and-true practices that will help just about anyone recover better.
Active Recovery
Rest doesn’t always mean you need to hunker down for a nap or spend a day on the couch. Active recovery involves engaging in low-intensity exercises and gentle movements like walking, swimming, or yoga. Low-intensity activities keep your body moving enough to promote blood flow and aid in muscle repair without putting additional stress on your body
If you’re looking for some fun ways to actively recover, try one of our six weekly yoga classes or join Western Personal Trainer Katie Fichtenbauer on Mondays at 6:00am for our That’s a Stretch class and enjoy a mix of foam rolling and dynamic and static stretching. Bonus—not only are you helping your body recovery, you’re also improving flexibility, balance, and range of motion.
Rest & Sleep
Most of us know we need to get more sleep. In fact, sleep is arguably the most crucial component of recovery. During sleep, your body undergoes essential repair and recovery processes. More sleep equals more growth hormones to repair and grow muscle. More sleep means more time for your brain to get rid of metabolic waste and optimize cognitive performance. More sleep means a higher functioning immune system. The list could go on and on. Simply put, if you’ve got fitness goals and aren’t seeing results or if your body is not performing like you want, get more sleep!
Need some simple tips to help you get a more restful night? Check out our blog on the Do’s and Don’ts of Sleep Hygiene.
Nutrition & Hydration
Nutrition plays a significant role in recovery. Getting the right nutrients into your body after a workout helps replenish energy stores, repair muscle tissues, and reduce inflammation. But don’t worry! You don’t have to overcomplicate it with counting calories or tracking macros (unless that’s your thing). Here are some simple basics:
Proteins: Essential for muscle repair and growth. Include foods like lean meats, fish, eggs, and plant-based proteins.
Carbohydrates: Replenish glycogen stores and provide energy for recovery processes. Opt for whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Healthy Fats: Support overall health and reduce inflammation. Think avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
Hydration: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially during and after a workout. Consider electrolyte-rich beverages after intense workouts.
Professional Treatments
Professional recovery services can help reduce muscle tension, improve circulation, and address more specific issues within the body. Luckily, Western has three amazing massage therapists who offer a variety of massage therapies for your specific needs, as well as our Renew wellness area, offering transformative, science-based treatments to enhance your physical and mental wellbeing.
At Renew, we offer a variety of recovery services that can be mixed and matched to create a customized recovery program tailored to your needs. Our services include cryotherapy, light therapy, vibration therapy, compression therapy, grounding therapy, and more. We’ll work with you to develop a personalized plan that addresses your specific recovery goals, ensuring you get the most out of your fitness routine and maintain peak performance.
Mindfulness & Stress Management
Recovery is about giving your brain a break too. Mindfulness meditation and breath exercises can help reduce stress, lower cortisol levels, and promote calm and wellbeing. Try to incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily routine to enhance mental recovery and overall wellness. Even a few minutes of meditation or deep breathing each day can make a significant difference in managing stress and improving recovery.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into meditation and breathwork, join instructor Ana for Breathwork and Meditation each Monday at 6:15pm. You’ll discover the untapped potential of breathwork and it’s influence on the immune system, nervous system, emotions, and more.
How Will You Recover This Week?
If recovery isn’t already part of your fitness routine, now is the time to make room for it! Creating a balanced routine that integrates both intense workouts and adequate recovery is essential for achieving your fitness goals and maintaining overall well-being.
Remember to listen to your body so you can recognize signs of overtraining and avoid injury or stalled progress. Be flexible with your workout plan if you’re feeling unusually tired or sore. Not all recovery techniques will work the same for everyone. Try combining different recovery strategies and find out what works best for you!
If you need help with your recovery, let us know. Western has a wide variety of recovery resources available to our members, and we’d love to help you feel your very best!
