Activate your recovery The secret to fuelling better performance
flowing to the muscles and tissues and aids repair and rebuild. A recovery day can give your nervous system a break and allows your energy and your go-get-‘em-attitude to return too. It can also save you from “breaking” ie injury prevention. After all, going hard all the time at any fitness pursuit will likely see you end up with a large bill from your physio. So, unless you love large bills from your physio, then consider taking recovery seriously. Here are some ideas.
Stretch
Confession: I’m a yoga teacher and so this will always be at the top of my list. Yes, I’m biased. But I also know it works and this is research-backed. Stretching helps to iron out those tight spots so your body feels more in balance. Stretching brings length back to tight muscles. Even if you stretch as much as me… there are always tight spots to work on. Yoga is something I credit a lot for getting me through 25 marathons in six years. I recommend yin yoga particularly (a style of yoga where you hold poses for longer lengths of time and is slow moving). I share a yin yoga tips on my Instagram if you are keen to try them sometime – follow https:/ /www.instagram.com/ rachelgrunwell/
Walk
Go for a gentle stroll. This option won’t cost you a thing. It’s also nice to get out into the sunshine, fresh air and see some beautiful sights.
Foam Rolling
Some call this by the fancier term: Self myofascial release. It can help with flexibility and breaks down scar tissues. When you first start doing this it can seriously make you squeal and swear. It hurts! But once you know what you are doing and you have done it a few times… then it feels okay. Here is one of my You Tube videos showing you how to use a foam roller that’s easypeasy. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=tfjatech_im