Forget fad diets and vibrating plates, we all know the tried and trusted way to keep our bodies in their best shape is working out and eating well. Working out is great for your muscles, vascular system and even our mental health, but nothing worth having comes easy! Anyone who has done an intense workout knows the pain of recovery. Here are our best natural recovery methods:
Hydration
We cannot stress the importance of hydration– before, during and after your workout. Dehydration makes muscle pain and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) so much worse and you’ll really notice a difference when you drink enough water. Water helps your body recover and rehydrate so much quicker than any energy drinks or coffee do, so make sure you’re drinking at least 2ltrs a day. This should be increased on days when you work out as your body is losing a lot more water through sweat.
Stretching
Don’t wait until you get home to stretch, do it immediately after every workout, even if you just want to get home and relax. You’d never train without a warm-up and it’s just as important to cool down afterwards. Your cool down helps your heart rate and breathing return to normal rhythm slowly, preventing dizziness and fainting. A slow jog around a track or 5/10 minutes of gentle stretching can help to prevent injury or unnecessary soreness.
Nutrition
When we finish a difficult workout we feel we deserve a reward for all of our hard work. This reward for us usually comes in the form of ice cream or chocolate! By eating badly after a workout, we are undoing all of the hard work, filling our bodies with unhealthy oils, sugar and fats. Prepare a healthy nutritious meal before you train and if you need a treat try a couple of squares of dark chocolate.
Epsom Salts
A warm bath can help to soothe aching muscles and relax your whole body. Adding Epsom salts to a bath can also help to loosen stiff joints. Epsom salts are a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulphate. These are both readily absorbed into the body and have many other uses as well as muscle recovery. It can be used for relaxing the nervous system, curing skin problems, soothing back pain and aching limbs, easing muscle strain, healing cuts, treating colds and congestion and drawing toxins from the body.
Sleep
Most important of all is to give your body time to recover properly. A night of quality, uninterrupted sleep will give your mind a new lease of life and give your body the time it needs to repair any damage you may have caused and to enhance muscle recovery. 8 hours a night is recommended but the higher your physical demands the more sleep you’ll need.
When you stay in Osprey Hotel you have unlimited complimentary access to our fully-equipped gym and pool, you are welcome to join our fitness classes and you’ll have access to our brand new state of the art Osprey Spa. For more information call us or book your stay directly with us for the best rates.