Essential part of any routine.
Don’t let all the hard work and sweat go to waste by skipping out on the recovery.
Your after-exercise routine can have a significant impact on the over all results, and who is better to tell us more than Nike Running Coach, 13 times marathoner, and past cover star Manal Rostom.
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A carefully-planned recovery strategy lowers the risk of injury and helps your body progress the most when training. Recovery happens immediately after your workout has completed, seeking to replenish the nutrients that your body has used during exercise straight after helps lead your body into a strong recovery regimen. I normally like to eat loads of protein-based meals along with electrolyte drinks to help replenish stores.
Post running session, there’s an optimal 20 minute window to best serve your body with the nutrients and water it has used. Waiting till you are home can mean missing the window, so instead, planning and prepping meals prior to your workout and taking them with you to your session is ideal. Protein based foods are recommended, however, it can prove challenging to stomach such nutrients with in 20 mins of a work out – if you struggle with this, a protein-recovery shake may be the best option for you.
Recovery is where all your body-changes occur, so what better way to recover than to switch off completely and get some more sleep? Not many of us can say that we get enough sleep every night, but this is a monumental element of recovery. Getting more sleep also radically-decreases the chances of becoming injured. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night.
If you are training for a race, it is important to plan an active recovery run. My recovery run is about shaking off the tired muscles and the buildup of lactic acid. There’s no specific pace or plan to stick to. It’s just you and your headspace. Enjoying a relaxed kind of run. It almost feels like you are meditating.
Doing an all-inclusive, vibrant cool-down post run will admit all your muscles in your body efficiently. If there are certain body parts that are significantly- sore after your training session (e.g hamstrings and), then be sure to pay attention to those areas and spend more time stretching these muscles for optimal recovery.
STRETCH
There are specific yoga-based stretches specific for runners that can really help. For example, the World’s best stretch for runners is the downward dog for hamstring stretches and Frog pose for hip openers. Once you’ve cooled down, work your way into gentle stretches- Targeting muscles that have a tendency to tighten up, it is important to focus on hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves and achilleas – a common injury site for runners.
