Nailing your exercise recovery routine:
There is so much information out there about optimising your exercise routine, but when it comes to building a recovery routine, oftentimes we have no idea where to start or even how important recovery truly is. Recovery can range from stocking up on necessary nutrients, resting, hydration, and a proper warm-up/cool-down routine.
Let's unpack what a recovery routine is and how it may benefit you.
Protein + other nutrients:
To give our muscles a helping hand, it is super important to prioritise protein at every meal. Protein is made up of amino acids which are also your body's building blocks. When we consume protein we’re allowing protein synthesis to occur which is the fancy way to describe the process of recovery, repairing, and building muscle. We acknowledge that many of us do not always have the time to cook or prep a protein-filled meal for every post-workout refuel. This is why we have curated our BePure Protein Powders - Good Gut Protein and Perfect Protein in the flavours Vanilla and Chocolate which have been designed to give you the fuel you need to feel your best inside and out. For an extra bonus, adding nutrients such as magnesium and healthy fats has also been known to assist in muscle relaxation and reducing muscular inflammation.
Allow yourself to rest:
Yes, it’s true, rest days are just as important! Please believe us when we say that your body needs to rest. Did you know that your muscles actually grow when you’re resting? Exercise creates tiny little tears in your muscles and when you rest, special cells called fibroblasts help do the repairing and growing. When you allow your muscle tissues to repair and heal, you also allow room for the muscles to grow strong and powerful. Not only does your body need to rest for repair and growth, but they also need rest so they don’t experience fatigue. The aches and pains that take place post-exercise usually occur when you experience glycogen depletion. These glycogen levels need to be revamped and restored too.
Refuel with hydration and electrolytes:
It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that exercise can be dehydrating and your electrolyte stores take a hit as your sweat gets going. Did you know maintaining hydration during and post-exercise allows for joint lubrication and maintenance of energy? Sounds pretty important. When we move our body, we also make use of our electrolyte storage which is made up of potassium, calcium, and sodium. These nutrients help get important functions going such as muscle contraction, maintenance of fluid balance, and the regulation of our heartbeat. Make sure to give your body a helping hand by stocking up on fluids and electrolytes post-exercise. Some great sources of electrolytes are coconut water, nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and broccoli.
The importance of having a warm-up and cool-down routine:
A warm-up typically looks like 5 -10 minutes of light movement whether that resembles light aerobic exercise or dynamic stretching. Simply getting your body moving pre-exercise will get the heart rate going and the blood pumping. Warming up essentially gives your body a little wake-up call to prepare your body for what is to come. It also allows for increased blood and oxygen flow to the muscle, decreases demand on the heart to pump blood throughout the body and it increases your core body temperature - rather important for avoiding an injury.
Just like warming up is crucial, there is plenty of research that suggests having a cool-down routine is just as essential; so before you head home to rest up, give yourself some time to get your heart back to a resting state and stretch those muscles out. Cooling down will look slightly different for everyone based on the type of exercise and your personal needs and preferences, however, one thing we all have in common is that we should all try to incorporate stretching into our cool-down routine. Stretching helps to eliminate the build-up of lactic acid which supports the prevention of those dreaded aches and pains. Stretching has also been shown to build our flexibility which will assist in joint longevity, muscle pain and will help you to avoid stubborn injuries.
Now that we’ve fully unpacked, we hope that we have given you some clarity on the benefits of recovery and given you a step up on formulating your own personalised recovery routine. We know you’ll nail it!
