The Art of Recovery When You Start a New Workout Routine

When we decide to start all over again, it usually means embracing some form of workout routine. But when you start a new workout routine, whether you are experienced in running but have now made the switch to strength training, or you are just looking for a whole new way to get healthy, the biggest obstacle for most people is the recovery period. There's a lot of mixed information out there when it comes to recuperation. Some people believe that there is no such thing as recovery and you should just push through it. Others believe that recovery is integral. However, recovery is about you listening to your body. When we suffer from DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) or struggle a couple of days after a workout, we must listen to our bodies. But how can we learn to recover adequately?

Learning to Relax

It is so important to relax your muscles. It's not just about tension causing problems but if you are someone who is predisposed to stress, the stress hormone cortisol can impact your recovery and actually can stop you from building muscle. This is why it's so important to learn how to relax and be calm. There are so many different ways that you can learn to relax in terms of recovering from a workout. CBD and medical marijuana are a couple of components that are certainly making waves in terms of relaxing but also helping the body to recover. You can very easily visit a Harvest House of Cannabis or medical marijuana suppliers to find the right dosage to help you relax. There are other things that you can do to help yourself calm down. You could purchase a massage gun or you could use foam rolling. When you start to learn how to relax it means that you will be prioritizing your body and looking after yourself properly. Yes, our diet is also important, but we need to remember that if we are to get back into the gym soon, we have to be completely recovered in mind and body. If we aren't recovered, we will soon learn because we're not able to do as well as we did before.

Minimizing Soreness

There are so many different schools of thought when it comes to reducing soreness. Everybody is going to have DOMS at some point. And it's about learning to manage it effectively. Because many people decide to go all out in the gym upon starting a workout routine because they feel okay, they soon discover that they are struggling. What will happen the more you do is the more soreness you will have. So if you started working out 3 days a week, you may find that you are better off dropping down to 2 days, and notice if there's any difference. There are things you can do to minimize swelling, such as ice baths or cold showers. But you should also think about contrast showers, which is a mixture of hot and cold, which will get the blood flowing. But don't be afraid to drop your workout down to once a week if you are still feeling it. This means that if you've done a good quality workout and focused on form, this will help you to recover, but also get that proper strength rather than focusing on making the last rep.

For more wellness and mindset tips follow me on IG @NadiaMurdock

Check out my new 4-week program called The Ultimate Jump Start!