3 Keys to Recovery for Fitness Success!

What is your main focus when you workout? How heavy you're lifting? The length of your run or bike or swim? How fast you can finish those 3 miles? Just getting through that barre class at the gym? 

All of those are great things to focus on...but what about recovery from each of those activities? Because without recovery when we stress our bodies with exercise the following can happen:

• strength gains can be difficult to achieve
• fat loss can stop, or increase
• exhaustion can set in
• injuries can occur
• mood can get low

Some of these things can happen right away, but more often, they sneak up on us and can become chronic (I know this from experience). 

Proper recovery should be part of our fitness routines so that we can live fit and healthy for the long term.

So, what are some recovery strategies that can help us reach our goals? 

I'm glad you asked! 

Here are some simple ones to incorporate. 

1. Sleep. Yep, sleep is the most important thing we can do to recover from all sorts of things, including exercise. As adults, we need 7-8 hours of sleep per 24-hour period (some of us need more than that as well). If you need to get your sleep under control, check out the to-dos and no-to-dos in this article to get the best night sleep.
2. Nutrition. We all know that what we put in our body fuels our day-to-day activities and our workouts. So how can we use nutrition to properly recover from exercise? It's two-fold
• Hydration.
• Making sure we are hydrated properly is super important. The recommendation for    water intake is 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces. For example, if you weight 180lbs, you should be drinking 90 oz of water a day. If you are doing a sweaty workout, you might drink an additional 4oz of water for every 15 minutes of sweat-time.
• Food.
• Food is fuel and calories are energy. Making sure we are taking in enough fuel/energy to power our workouts is essential (as is not taking in too much fuel/energy). To calculate your daily fuel needs, check out the Mayo Clinic daily calorie calculator here.
• The type of food you put in your body also matters. Focusing on getting lean proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, tofu, beans), a plentiful variety of vegetables and fruit (they contain a bunch of essential vitamins and minerals for recovery), fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts) and whole food carbs (potatoes, corn, whole grains) are important to help our body recover from vigorous activity.
3. Rest. Yep. You need rest days for your muscles to recover from a hard workout. Our muscles typically can recover and be ready for another session in 36-48 hours. That means if you have a long run, waiting 2 days to do another one is advisable. If you do leg day on Monday, don't do another leg day until at the soonest Wednesday. And if you feel like you need more time, take it!

Something else to consider are alternative recovery resources.  It seems as though there is a device, therapy and routine for everyone that are used to speed recovery. Some are well researched and proven and others are individual preference but might not have the proof to support use (but might feel good). Make sure to research any alternative recovery source you try and talk with your doctor before engaging in any of these to make sure they are right for you.  Here are some examples.

• Infared Saunas
• Cold Therapy (plunges/cold showers)
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Foam rolling
• Stretch gyms

Whatever you use to help you recover from your workouts, make sure that your fitness routine has rest and recovery built into it for the most benefits (and least injury)!

Favorite Summer Salad

This dish is summer perfection. Follow the recipe exactly or add/delete what you want to make it your perfect light and yummy dream-salad! 

 What you need: 

...for the salad

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 bag of mixed greens (I like to chop mine up)
• 1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 mini cucumbers, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup goat cheese or feta
• 1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachios
• other tasty additions: diced tomatoes, avocado, croutons, etc.

...for the dressing

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or juice from one lemon)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons avocado oil (you can use olive oil as well)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

What you do: 

1. Salt and pepper the chicken (or marinated it in a couple tablespoons of dressing) and grill until done. Let rest for 10 minutes and chop into cubes. 
2. While the chicken is grilling, chop and/or prepare your salad ingredients.
3. Mix salad ingredients together, pour salad dressing on and top with the grilled chicken. 

Enjoy!