Top 3 Recovery Methods for Athletes
Work harder. Grind. No pain no gain. Give it 110%.
It’s no secret that in the world of sports, a strong working ethic can be beneficial. What is often overlooked, however, is that thing on the other side of training. What else matters besides training and PUTTING IN THE WORK, you might ask? Recovery.
A greater emphasis has been placed on recovery in the past few years, but I have found that many people (myself included) tend to look for “short cuts” or “hacks” to improve our recovery and get an edge on the competition. When you ask a high school aged athlete about recovery, they will refer to massage guns, cryotherapy, foam rollers, and various other tools out on the market. Can these tools be beneficial? Sure. I have no problem with any of them. I roll out and even use a massage gun at times (one that I spent way too much money on).
Despite all the fancy recovery tools, there are still 3 things that must be addressed if you truly want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your recovery. These methods are affordable (2 are free), and they’ve been around forever. Yet for some reason, many athletes fail to improve upon them and take them seriously.
1) SLEEP
When it comes to recovery, sleep is THE MOST important factor. Every athlete should strive to get a minimum of 7 hours every single night. If you’re really looking to get the most out of your sleep, you should be getting 8-10 hours per night. You may be thinking, “10!? Are you crazy, no one sleeps that much and I’m too busy for that.” To which I’d reply, “work on managing your time, minimize distractions, and prioritize your sleep.” I understand it’s easier said than done, but if you are getting 8-10 hours a night your mind and body will thank you big time.
2) NUTRITION
Eating healthy is expensive, blah, blah, blah…1) It’s not bad if you learn to shop and buy more affordable options. 2) Can you put a price on health? Think big picture, not just in the moment. When you make the shift from eating processed foods that come in boxes with a list of 36 ingredients that you can’t even pronounce, to eating whole foods packed with nutrients, you’ll feel the difference almost immediately. I still recommend fitting in the foods you love, this isn’t about eating perfect 100% of the time. Understand that carbs will fuel you, protein will help repair lean muscle, and fats are important for many reasons. Learn which foods consist of which macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and pay attention to what you consume.
3) GO FOR A WALK
If you haven’t heard the saying “Movement is medicine,” it happens to be a favorite of mine. A common misconception with recovery is that you need to lay around, sit on the couch, watch television, and do as little as possible so that your body can fully recoup from all the intense training. Sorry, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Your body loves movement. Get your muscles going, get the blood flowing, and help promote recovery by enjoying some light activity. Go for a 10-20 minute walk, hike, ride your bike, play some pick-up basketball, etc…You certainly shouldn’t be pushing yourself too hard, so keep the intensity light/moderate. Going for a walk every single day is a wonderful thing for recovery and mental health. Don’t be afraid to get moving, it will help more than you think.
