With the number of people increasing their workouts these days, partly due to losing weight, training for marathons, or you've become the latest victim in the workout addiction club - be certain to rest and recover after your workouts.
Aerobic and non-aerobic workouts put stress on your body's joints, especially when we do these workouts 4-6 times per week and if you are one of the members of the workout addiction club - taking multiple group classes or running/biking/hiking and lifting weights everyday - pay close attention to aches and pains. Distinguish them between good and bad. Most of us can be classified as overexercisers.
People who overexercise can cause inflammation and stress in their bodies which can lead to fatigue, depression and increase in belly fat. Inflammation isn't all bad. We need it to fight infections and speed recovery. Small amounts of inflammation will stimulate tissue which in turn will benefit us later to more help us prevent more damage. The more you workout the more your cells can handle inflammation. But, on the other hand too much inflammation can do a lot of damage. Most women do not realize they have too much inflammation until it is too late. Keep in mind that if you do experience soreness that keeps occuring in the same muscle or same area of your body, chances are it's probably an indication that your anti-flammatory response has been compromised.
Rest and recovery is key to all workouts. Rest means: changing some portion of your workout to lessen the impact. For example, if you run consider swimming everyother day, you'll still be getting a great aerobic workout with no impact on your joints. If you lift weights allow 48 hours of rest to allow your muscles to recover before another lifting session. Self-myofascial release is a great way to manipulate connective tissue and inflammation. If you belong to a gym most have a large foam roller which is used for this purpose, or you can go to a sports massage therapist certified in myofascial release. In either case, both are successful in reducing the tension and inflammation in your muscles allowing for a quicker recover.
When recovering from your daily workout, fueling your body with the proper foods plays a big role on how your body recovers from its workout. Dark leafy green vegetables, salmon, tuna and carrots contain antioxidants that will help reduce inflammation. Your diet needs to be geared around your workout. A 30 minute workout may only require a drink of water and having a healthy lunch or dinner. A 60 minute workout will require more. Making sure you get enough sleep (8 hours) is also very beneficial. Soaking your legs in an ice bath after a tough workout can help speed along the inflammation process.
When you workout make sure you rest and recover so you can go at it again.
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