Post-Workout Recovery: Essential Tips to Preserve Your Fitness Gains

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How many hours do you exercise in a day or let’s say a week? Seven hours or more is it? Well, that is not what matters alone. No sooner you finish working out it is time to rush to the office, drop your kids off at the school, or maybe finish a bit of the daily household chores. That may mean that you are not taking time to cool down. The most common excuse is that you don’t have time.

Do you know that fitness does not end immediately after a workout session? Recovery and rest are two of the most important aspects to include in your workout routine. The reason is that it has a really big impact on your performance and fitness gains. So, if you are yet to create a recovery plan after exercising, prepare to end up with muscle soreness or lower speed.

Here is what you need to do immediately after a workout session:

Rehydration

One of the most important things to do immediately after a workout session is to rehydrate the body, especially if you exercise intensely. The sooner you rehydrate the body with fluid levels the faster you will build on the strength and allow the muscles to gain flexibility. However, you need to stick to healthy or low-sugar drinks like black or green tea, coconut water, or drinks that help you balance the electrolytes. That way, you will also get rid of muscle cramps.

Cooling down

Never stop working out abruptly as you might feel dizzy or weak. The body temperature usually soars and the blood vessels dilate when you exercise intensely. Therefore, you should allow your body to return to normal. Sit down for ten to fifteen minutes or change the setting of your treadmill to cool down. If you are running fast, slow down gradually or walk for a few more minutes based on the intensity of the exercises.

Post-workout stretching

During the post-workout session, you must try to bring your body to normal for which muscle stretching and lengthening are important. As the muscles cool down, they tend to contract. With stretching, you can reduce the soreness in the muscles and rev up the recovery process.

Change your outfit

You must be familiar with how important it is to change clothes after exercising. A good option would be to change the entire outfit. If that’s not an option, change the innerwear as they tend to become soggy due to sweating. Wearing such clothes for a long time is not healthy as the moisture traps, bacteria, germs, and fungus.

Eat mindfully

If you have just started working out, chances are that you will celebrate after a session of intense exercises and eat what you shouldn’t. Overeating or consuming unhealthy food after exercising may add to the calories that you lost so consciously during the workout session. However, that does not mean skipping meals or cutting calories drastically. Your body needs fuel after exercises, so munch on healthy snacks to perform better on the next workout session.

The steps that you consider taking after an intense workout contribute to the essential body functions. It also allows you to stay healthy and energized not only for the entire day but until you start exercising again.

Theresa Perez

Theresa Perez is a seasoned writer for the health industry dedicated to providing fact-based health information. She sources concise facts from authoritative sources to ensure maximum credibility and shares guidelines to lead a healthy lifestyle.