Intense workouts can cause a lot of damage to our bodies. The whole point of pushing your body to the limit is to break it down and build it back up again, stronger and tougher. Serious fitness enthusiasts and athletes do intense workouts all the time. From HIIT training to endurance events, expect to feel the burn after you have finished your workout.
Rest and recovery is very important. Too many athletes don’t place enough importance on allowing the body the time it needs to recover. Ideally, you should plan for at least one rest day in any seven-day training schedule, and one rest week every four weeks. Rest doesn’t necessarily mean putting your feet up in front of the TV – it means taking it easier than normal and dialing back on the training.
In the meantime, however, you need to know how to recover from a hard workout. Otherwise, you won’t feel especially motivated about starting all over again the next day!
Here are some natural recovery ideas.
Take An Ice Bath
Ice baths are a tried and tested method of helping your body to recover from a tough workout. Busting a gut down at the gym leads to inflammation in your muscles, joints, and ligaments. This is a natural response, but it can be painful and if you are in pain, your next workout won’t be pleasant.
Cold is one way to calm down the body’s natural inflammatory response. Endurance athletes often use the ice bath method after a long race. Sitting in ice water isn’t pleasant, but it is surprisingly effective.
Half fill a bath with cold water and dump a load of ice in there. Put a hat on and some warm layers on your upper body to keep your core warm and sit in the ice water for 20 minutes. Drink a hot drink if you are struggling with the cold. The ice water will ease the pain and prevent your muscles from seizing up overnight.
If an ice bath sounds a bit too hard-core for you, alternate a hot shower with a cold shower or have a swim in a tepid pool to stretch and soothe your muscles.
Have A Sports Massage
Many gyms have a sports masseur on-site to treat their patrons. It’s well worth having a sports massage after a hard workout, although it can be painful!
An experienced sports masseur can get the blood moving in your tired muscles, which aids recovery. They will untangle the knots and loosen up tight muscles. Since muscle tightness can lead to other problems if you don’t address the problem, a sports massage is a good idea.
If you’d prefer going the DIY route, a percussion massage gun can be a useful tool for working out the knots and tension in specific muscles.
Try CBD Oil
CBD is a natural treatment for inflammation and pain. Many endurance athletes swear by CBD oil and regularly use it to treat inflammation and soreness. CBD comes from the hemp plant, but it won’t make you ‘high’ like marijuana. This is because it doesn’t contain THC, the cannabinoid in marijuana with psychoactive properties.
CBD is no longer a banned substance in athletics, so don’t worry about the repercussions of using CBD products. You can ingest CBD or apply it as a topical oil. You can even eat it in food products if you prefer.
Use CBD to soothe sore muscles and treat inflammation. It’s also great for stress and anxiety if your training regimen is making you stressed.
You can pick up CBD oil from a CDB oil distributor if you want to buy it in bulk.
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. Sleep is the ultimate cure for a sore, aching body. The body makes growth hormones while you sleep, and this is when your body repairs damaged muscles and tissues.
Listen to your body. If something hurts more than usual, don’t push through the pain – take an extra rest day. That way, you won’t end up on the injury bench for months at a time.
*collaborative post
