Are you aware that there’s a way you can work out and let your body recover simultaneously? It means you’re working out but restoring and resetting your body to return stronger.
Active recovery is a workout with lower intensity, reduced power, or less resistance than a typical workout. It involves walking, yoga, and swimming. Active recovery has more benefits than inactivity, resting fully, or sitting. It can circulate blood flow and restore and rebuild muscles from intense physical activity.
Active Vs. Passive Recovery
During passive recovery, the body is entirely at rest. It may include sitting or inactivity. Passive recovery is helpful if you’re injured or in pain, as well as if you’re exhausted, either mentally or physically, after exercising. If you aren’t experiencing any of these and are only typically sore, active recovery is the way to go.
Also Check: Strategies For Managing Post-Competition Stress: Mindful Recovery
Why Is Active Recovery Important?
Below are some of the reasons active recovery is essential:
- Active recovery can alleviate soreness and boost the muscle-rebuilding process. For instance, after five days of intensive training, an active recovery session improves your muscle recovery by increasing blood flow without stressing your muscles and joints.
- Active recovery also improves our overall fitness program by balancing out our high-intensity interval sessions, enabling muscle recovery, and maintaining the workout routine.
- Active recovery maintains the momentum. If you’ve ever had a lazy weekend and cannot return to that first workout on Monday, you’ll know what that means. Skipping a single workout can quickly result in missing two, setting the stage for a slippery slope. Momentum works both ways, so maintaining an exercise routine on weekends implies you will stick to it.
Dangers Of Not Having Recovery
If you keep skipping recovery time after your workouts, you might be exposing yourself to the danger of some severe consequences, which include the following:
🔹 Higher Risk Of Injury
If you don’t allow your muscles and joints to recover correctly, they become overused and tired, resulting in a higher risk of injury. Sadly, nobody wants to be sidelined due to a pulled muscle or sprained ankle.
🔹 Reduced Performance
Skipping recovery time can reduce your performance levels. Your muscles deserve some time to rebuild and grow stronger, so without it, you may start losing progress in your performance.
🔹 Mental Burnout
Overtraining can affect your physical and mental health. You might start experiencing burnout, stress, and anxiety if you don’t give yourself some rest and recovery.
To prevent injury, keep making progress, staying mentally healthy, and prioritizing your recovery time.
How To Plan An Active Recovery Day?
Planning an active recovery day entails providing your body with some needed care and attention while still active. Below are some strategies for making a fun and effective recovery day:
- Keep it cool with low-intensive activities: Engage in low-intensive activities such as yoga, stretching, or a leisurely walk. Your muscles and joints will benefit from it.
- Flex those muscles: You can flex your muscles with foam rolling, dynamic stretching, and other mobility exercises.
- Please don’t ignore your body: Take it easy! If you’re feeling sore or tired, take it slow and obey your body.
- Make it fun: Engage in activities you love, including swimming, dancing, or playing frisbee. As long as it’s low-intensity, you don’t have a problem.
Precautions To Take
- Active recovery exercises are usually safe; however, if you’re in pain and have an injury, avoid them until you consult a doctor.
- A doctor or a physical therapist may provide different types of active recovery, such as stretches, swimming, or cycling, as you recover from an injury.
- During active recovery, don’t work harder than 50% of your maximum effort to provide enough rest for your body.
Conclusion
Active recovery, which includes walking, yoga, and swimming, is a workout that is performed at a lower intensity, reduced power, or lesser resistance than your regular workout.
It has lots of benefits, such as alleviating soreness and boosting the muscle-rebuilding process, improving our overall fitness program by balancing out our high-intensity interval sessions and keeping momentum.
Although it differs from passive recovery, which may include sitting or inactivity, it is worth trying. However, don’t try it if you’re injured or in pain.
Read More: Overtraining Prevention And Recovery: Ensure Your Peak Performance
