Recovery Tips for Better Workout Results

By | November 14, 2014

recovery tips: massage

In a previous post we discussed how what you wear can affect your workouts. Today we’re going to talk about the things you do after your workouts, which can either help or hinder your success.

You probably already know that you should cool down and stretch after each session, and that you should allow enough recovery time between sessions. What you might not realize is that how you recover is as important as how long you take to recover.

The Importance of Recovery

Exercise causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers – this is especially true of weight-bearing and resistance exercises. Recovery gives your muscles time to heal and grow stronger. However, if you don’t recover the right way, it can actually slow down the healing process.

During exercise your muscles produce a waste product called lactic acid, which can irritate the muscles and contribute to muscle soreness. Normally, circulation carries this waste product out of the muscles. However, shortly after exercise the muscles swell, which can constrict blood flow and prevent efficient lactic acid removal. Your muscles also need nutrients and oxygen to continue the healing process, and constricted blood flow prevents them from getting into the muscle fibers effectively.

For these reasons, it’s important that you do things that will reduce the swelling in your muscles and encourage blood flow.

Reducing Muscle Swelling

Massage Therapy

Massage is one of the more effective ways to reduce swelling to encourage blood, which removes wastes and delivers oxygen and nutrients to healing muscle fibers. Massage can also reduce the stiffness and soreness that often occurs after exercise by relaxing constricted muscle fibers. Massage doesn’t just have positive effects in the short term, the effects are actually cumulative – meaning the more massages you have, and the longer the effects last after each session.

Massage therapist are usually easy to find, some even work out of gyms and health clubs, making their services available to members. If getting a massage at your gym doesn’t appeal to you, there are therapists who work on an out-call basis and can perform table or chair massage at your home or business.

If you plan to have in home massages on a regular basis, you might consider purchasing your own portable table, or massage chair to keep in your home, rather than relying on the one the therapist uses for all of her other clients. That way you won’t have to worry, if you have any concerns about hygiene.
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Compression Clothing

There are several studies that show that compression garments can improve athletic performance and recovery. They can also prevent some of the swelling that occurs after you exercise.

Like massage, compression clothing encourages blood flow through your muscles by apply gentle pressure around your limbs or torso. They also help support the muscles and joints during exercise, to reduce fatigue and help you maintain proper form.

Although these garments encourage circulation, they don’t release contracted muscle fibers the way massage does. However, compression garments function well as a substitute for when you are between massage sessions, and as structural support during exercise.

You can find compression garments through online retailers that specialize in sports-related compression garments. You can also find medical compression garments at medical supply stores, and at drug stores that sell medical devices. Medical compression garments come in different levels; if you are using them solely for athletic performance, you should look for garments labeled mild or moderate.

hydration

Diet and Hydration

Your muscles need energy and nutrients to heal. Eating a small, healthy snack that contains a protein and a carbohydrate, before each workout will give you the calories and nutrients you need to fuel your workout session. Eating another snack after will give you the energy and nutrients you need to fuel the recovery process.

Blood is approximately 90 percent water. When you get dehydrated, you blood can actually thicken, which can impede circulation. It’s important to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water before, during, and after each exercise session.

Additionally, you should eat as healthfully as possible between workouts. This means some combination of whole grains, lean proteins, and fruits and vegetables – depending on your dietary preferences. There are also several hydrating foods that you can eat as snacks before and after your workouts, such as celery with peanut butter, or a tomato and cucumber salad with feta cheese.

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