There’s no easy way to prep for a workout. You can eat, you can sleep, you can even do a workout as your pre-workout. That’s a verifiable kind of insanity, but you can do it if you’re so inclined!
The point is, there are lists upon lists upon lists upon lists of how to prepare your body and your mind for a tough workout, but what about afterwards?
What do you need to do to recover from a good workout? Sweat it out – sure. Rest? Of course. But that’s not it. There’s a lot more you can do within restfulness that actually helps your body to reap the greatest benefits from its post-workout state.
Take a look at just 5 ways you can recover from a brutal workout and come out to the end even better than before.
Disclaimer: The tips and recommendations given at Namaste Blankets are intended to be used as guidelines. Do not replace our advice with a registered health professional or therapist’s advice. It’s best to consult with a healthcare professional if you have a special condition.
Last update on 2023-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Work
Keep your body working. Keep your mind working.
You are at your most productive after waking up your brain and body with a workout. Studies have proven that working out early in the morning causes a person to be more productive throughout the day, the ripple effect providing better results from meetings, tasks at home, and greater memory.
Simply put, working after working out is an easy way to capitalize on benefits you might otherwise lose.
Plus, let’s be real, you’re going to face some kind of work after a workout unless working out is the very last thing you do in the day, and that’s pretty unlikely, so give this advice a try and see how you come out the other end.
4. Walk
Similar to “work”, going for a walk is great for promoting health within your body. For example, people often go for a walk after eating dinner. Eating is a form of work in itself, and walking afterwards is a better form of digestion than just sitting on the couch and-or having dessert (even if you might want it really badly!)
You don’t have to walk too long, but a lot more benefits come from it than just those for the body. If you decide to forego the treadmill, and head outside, there’s a good chance you’ll see your neighbourhood in a way you haven’t before.
Usually, when you’re out for a walk, it’s not just for the purpose of walking; you are heading to the store to grab some food, you’re headed to your friend’s place, and so on.
In this case, you have nothing to do except (at most) digest your food. With all that free time for your brain and your body, you get the chance to experience your neighbourhood for what it is, unimpeded and uninterrupted with outside responsibilities and pressures.
As the old saying goes, take a minute. Smell the roses.
Last update on 2023-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Shower
Shower.
Take a minute.
Breathe.
Get all the sweat and intensity off and out of your body. You won’t need it for this part. Just hop into the shower, and relax.
Let the hot water (or cold water, if you are so inclined) wash over you completely. Make sure to scrub your skin, shampoo your hair…
The reason there’s so much detail here is that it’s meant to serve as an example of the way you should be thinking while you’re in the shower. In essence, take part in the little pleasures of life after punishing yourself for health or beauty that might come later.
A shower is a reprieve from the outside world. It’s you alone with your thoughts and with your body. There are no distractions like work responsibilities or interpersonal issues. Focus on positive, whole thoughts. You may even think about your workout and how to optimize your circuit the next time around. Even that is better than stress or anxiety.
Just let yourself sit in it.
2. Food
Food. The fun one. Munch down on some great food that you have prepared yourself, and reap those benefits.
The great thing about eating food you made yourself is you’re getting a double dose of seeing what your body can do. You are rewarding yourself with prior work.
One of the greatest things someone can do to boost productivity is to do things for yourself. If I make dinner for tonight and lunch for tomorrow, I feel way, way more productive for the rest of the day, and I feel way happier the next day when I wake up to a pre-planned meal.
The only thing better than that is waking up with enough energy to work out in the morning, and then eat some of my great meal.
This routine leads us to our next point, which is too often overlooked.
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Last update on 2023-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1. Sleep, and the Weighted Blanket
The happiest pair! Saviours of rest and relaxation.
Sleep. Get good sleep. It’s as simple as that. Don’t work your body like mad and then forego the great, natural benefits of sleep by keeping yourself up well past your natural bedtime watching Youtube videos and falling down Internet rabbit holes – get to sleep!
You’re doing yourself a disservice if you decide to push that away just to have a few more minutes giving yourself over to a whirring machine that doesn’t care about you.
Plus, let’s be honest, what are you learning at 1 am, propped up in bed, that will change your life?
Nothing. Nothing long-lasting anyway. Learning Hitler’s birthday might be a good party trick but it won’t add to your life expectancy.
So focus on yourself.
The first and only step to discuss? When do you buy a weighted blanket?
It’s simple. Buy it if you want a good night’s sleep. It contains a plethora of benefits, and the amount you have to work to get them is nil. Just put a little money towards it and like a new pair of running shoes for exercise, or a new chef’s knife for cooking, the object does the work for you.
