From foam rollers & stretches to cool showers & refuelling, discover the top tips that your body will be thanking you for
Attention all gym-goers, running ravers, swimming sensations and everyone in between – we take our hats off to you. Committing and sticking to a consistent workout routine is commendable, and while we can all agree that regular exercise is beneficial for both our physical and mental health, post-workout recovery is just as important.
Many of us are guilty of finishing a workout, skipping the cool down and just getting on with our day, when the reality is that what we do post-workout can actually make a positive impact. After all, recovery days are there for us to rehydrate, replenish nutrients, allow for muscle repair and growth and above all, restore energy.
Even if you’re new to exercise, finding a post-workout recovery routine will help you and your body in the long run. Not sure where to start? We’ve done the legwork for you (ok, maybe not as much as you) with this handy guide, packed full of advice to ensure you take care of you.
Be sure to speak to your GP if you’re new to exercise, haven’t exercised for some time or have a medical condition or concern.
Why is post-workout recovery important?
While it may seem like getting plenty of exercise is key, it’s equally as important to rest post-workout.
The popular saying ‘pain is gain’ isn’t necessarily true. Regardless of if you’re training for a competition, you’re feeling extra motivated to keep fit or you’re working towards a personal goal, the rule of thumb still applies – rest is best.
This is because taking regular breaks can help:
• Allow time for recovery
• Reduce your risk of injury
• Promote muscle recovery
• Improve performance
• Relax the body for a restful night’s sleep
• Avoid overtraining
• Prevent muscle soreness
• Prevent burnout
Recovery is also essential as it encourages you to listen to your body. This is particularly important if you fall ill or notice any muscle pain. Taking the time to properly care for your body will help you perform to your optimum ability in the long run.
And let’s be honest, having a couple of rest days per week can give you an extra boost of motivation to stick with your plan, as well as more energy for those day-to-day tasks.
Our top 9 post-workout recovery tips
So you’ve just completed a workout, what’s next? Take a look at our handful of tips to keep you feeling your best. Don’t feel like you have to do all nine in one hit though – just do whatever works for you, so long as you allow your body time to recover.
Tip 1: Perfect your warm-up routine
The first stage of post-workout recovery is a pre-workout stretch and warm up. But hands up if you just get straight into it? Well, it might be time to change this. Stretching before a workout helps to warm up your muscles, increase your heart rate and therefore your blood flow which enables more oxygen to reach your muscles. This can also increase your range of motion and reduce your risk of injury too, making your workouts more effective. It doesn’t have to take you too long either, simply set aside five to 10 minutes.
Depending on the type of workout you’re doing, the warm up will differ so it’s good to start with the basics that are appropriate for your type of exercise. For example, if you’re going for a run you can do some lunges, leg swings and jogging on the spot. You can also take a look at our guide to stretching for more inspiration.
Tip 2: Never skip the cool down
We get it, the last thing you want to do when you’ve finished a workout is more work. But just like the warm-up, taking five or 10 minutes to cool down is super beneficial to help you gradually reduce your heart rate and begin the recovery process.
A cool down can simply mean reducing the intensity of the activity you’ve been doing too, such as turning a jog into a walk. We’d also recommend gently stretching each of the main muscle groups for 10 to 15 seconds, as this can help ease muscle tension, improve flexibility, help reduce the risk of injury and bring your mind and body back to a resting state.
Tip 3: Always keep hydrated
If you’ve broken a sweat – which is pretty likely – then hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Adults should try and drink six to eight glasses of water a day (around six to eight glasses) but aim for more if you’re active, you sweat a lot when exercising or when it’s hot. Not only does replenishing your fluid levels quench your thirst, but it also helps you to maintain a normal body temperature as well as prevent muscle cramps and dehydration.
Tip 4: Refuel with a healthy snack
After your workout, chances are you’ve worked up an appetite. If you’re not planning on having your next main meal anytime soon, consider having a snack 30 to 90 minutes after finishing your workout. Instead of reaching for the chocolate for a sugar boost, try eating a handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit, Greek yoghurt with some berries, or why not spread some peanut butter on rice cakes for added sweetness?
While you may think it won’t curb the hunger pangs, it will actually help feed your muscles, help restore your energy and make you feel good too. Opting for foods that are higher in carbohydrates allows your body to replenish the glycogen (a stored form of glucose) lost during exercise to restore your energy. You’ll also want to fill up on protein which can help repair muscles, but we’ll get into this next.
We’d also recommend following up your snack with a substantial, healthy balanced meal around two hours after to continue the recovery process.
Tip 5: Power up with post-workout protein
Going hand in hand with the healthy snacks, ensuring your protein intake is spread evenly across meals, drinks and snacks throughout the day is essential for rebuilding and repairing tired muscles. Foods high in protein also contain amino acids which are the essential building blocks for body protein such as muscle.
Generally speaking, adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight per day (for the average woman, this is 45g, or 55g for men). Whether it’s protein found naturally in foods (such as beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meats), a protein bar or in the form of a powder, the key is to take it at the right time and in the right amount, alongside carbohydrates as part of your post-workout recovery routine. If you’re unsure, check the nutritional information of any protein snacks or drinks to make sure you’re not overdoing the protein intake – 10 to 20 grams is more than enough to help your muscles recover.
Tip 6: Have a refreshing shower or cool bath
Now this one goes without saying – there’s no better feeling than rinsing away the sweat in a cool shower and bringing your temperature back down to normal. Aside from being refreshing, having a cold shower or bath has other benefits too. Known as cold therapy, taking the plunge into cool water (usually below 15°C) is a popular post-workout ritual for many athletes, and with good reason too. Cool baths and showers are thought to reduce muscle pain and stiffness after exercise by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation.
If cool baths aren’t your thing, enjoy a soak in the bath with some Epsom salts instead. These can encourage you to relax and unwind, while helping to soothe sore muscles.
Tip 7: Give yourself a massage
Whether it’s a foam roller, a massage gun or just a manual massage with your hands, doing this as soon as possible after your workout can help relieve stiffness, soreness and tension in the muscles, improve blood circulation and muscular performance, all while promoting relaxation.
Tip 8: Schedule in a rest day
Remember what we said earlier? Rest is best, so with this in mind let’s get into those all-important rest days. These are essential for allowing your body time to recover so you can perform to your best ability, as well as helping to:
• Strengthen and repair tired muscles
• Reduce fatigue
• Improve performance
• Reduce the risk of injury
• Support healthy sleep
• Build long-term habits
Not sure how to spend your rest days? If you find yourself itching to do some form of exercise, the good news is you can still have active rest days. Now this doesn’t mean going for a slower run – think more along the lines of a gentle swim, leisurely cycle, spot of yoga or a walk. Something that keeps you moving without exerting yourself. Or if you prefer, you can enjoy a passive rest day which means taking the day off completely (enter the binge-worthy series on your watch list).
There’s no set rule for how many rest days you should have per week but try to aim for at least one full day. Everybody’s workout routine and number of rest days will differ as we all have individual goals, schedules and abilities. Just listen to your body and do what feels best for you.
Tip 9: Get plenty of sleep
Now when we say this, we don’t mean head straight to bed after your workout. If anything, your workout can make you feel pumped and energised, whether that’s physically or mentally. But when it comes to getting some zzzs, exercise and sleep actually go hand in hand.
While it’s no secret that getting enough sleep each night (ideally between seven and nine hours) is beneficial for our health, it’s even more important if you’ve been exercising. This is because during the night, your body uses this time to start the recovery process, repairing cells, restoring energy and releasing hormones and proteins which all help to promote better physical and mental performance.
It’s also thought that exercise can help alleviate sleep-related problems, such as waking during the night, to help you get a good amount of rest. While poor sleep quality can lead to lower levels of physical activity the next day.
Whether the exercise means you’re dozing straight off into the land of nod or you struggle to unwind at the end of the day, there are a few relaxation techniques you can try to help you drift off into a restful night’s slumber, should you need it.
And there you have it! Whether you want to incorporate all or just a few of these post-workout recovery tips, taking steps to perfect your routine will help you perform to your best ability in the long run and keep you feeling great too!
