Post workout care

by Bexi Wood in Training

post workout

Post-workout recovery is essential, and often overlooked by many people. Your recovery and cool down period is just as important as the actual workout itself, giving your body some crucial TLC.
Here’s some things you can do ‘post-workout’ to help aid recovery:
• Cool- down exercises- As soon as you’ve finished your workout, no matter what you have trained, you don’t want to stop completely. You will need to cool down, to get your heart rate back to its resting state. Some ways to cool down include- yoga poses, stretching, a light jog, walk. This should be done for 10-15 mins to properly bring your workout to a close.
• Stretch- Stretching will help you build flexibility and mobility, which is important for workouts and everyday life. After a workout your muscles are really warm and loose, (like an elastic band- if it’s cold, when it’s stretched it will snap! If it’s warm it will stretch further). Making this a prime time to stretch, helping improve your flexibility.
• Foam Rolling- If you haven’t got one, you need one! They don’t have to be top of the range super expensive, but make sure you have access to one (we have 2 here at the studio), to use after your workouts. Foam rolling is like a small ‘massager’, it will roll out any kinks or nots you may have and help sooth fatigued muscles after a workout. You can also do this before a workout to help ‘warm up’.
• Drink water- Pretty obvious, but some people forget, or don’t prioritise their water intake. Rehydration may be the most important element of any post workout routine, and you’re definitely not going to recover if you’re dehydrated. After sweating out a load of your body’s water reserves, your body simply needs to be replenished.
• Fuel up- In the same way of rehydration, your body needs refuelling after a workout. The most popular post-workout indulgences are protein shakes. Getting a solid dose of protein within an hour of working out will help kick start your muscles into the recovery process and help build the muscles. Typically, one scoop of protein powder will give you 20grams of protein, which helps replenish your muscles after they’ve been thoroughly fatigued. Your post workout snack should be something high in protein and high in carbs to help restore your energy. Foods such as: nuts, seeds, Greek yogurt, eggs, rice/pasta.
• Freshen up- The most obvious one! Making sure you shower, and change clothes makes a huge difference for your health, and for those that need to be around you for the rest of the day! Not only can you end up smelling, but things can start growing on you and you’re putting yourself at risk of bacterial infections. Especially wash your workout clothes and change them often to reduce smells and bacteria.