Best Post Workout Recovery Routine at Home
Staying active is a crucial part of staying healthy. Regular physical activity promotes strong bones, enhances the respiratory system, and improves heart health naturally. Along with feeling more energized, staying physically active also reduces the risks of type 2 diabetes, heart attack or stroke, and some cancers.
Attention to physical health doesn’t stop at the end of your workout, though! Taking care of your body includes adopting an effective post workout recovery routine to help your body heal. Like anything, our bodies require maintenance to continue performing at optimum levels.
Unsure where to begin? We’re taking a look at the importance of self care and how to create the best post workout recovery routine at home that will keep you feeling your best!
Importance of a Post Workout Recovery Routine at Home
When you exercise, micro-trauma tears to muscles and tissue can occur when they’re pushed beyond their limits. This can lead to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) up to 72 hours later without an effective post workout recovery routine.
Learning how to take care of your body after working out isn’t difficult! Let’s continue to a few post workout recovery routine ideas.
Post Workout Recovery Routine Ideas
Adopting a post workout recovery routine doesn’t require an entire second set of disciplines. In fact, you’re probably already doing some recovery items already in everyday life and can make simple adjustments to increase their effectiveness. Some items on our list of best post workout recovery routines include:
- Drink water to stay hydrated
- Post workout stretching to stay loose and limber
- Heat therapy and cold presses to help muscles heal
- Salt bath to relax and recover
- Get a massage
- Eat healthy food after working out
Drink Water to Stay Hydrated and Boost Post Workout Recovery
If you’re leading a healthy lifestyle and staying active chances are you’re already used to drinking lots of water. While working out, you lose a lot of your body’s hydration and it needs to be replenished. This is why staying hydrated by drinking at least 8 ounces of water within 30 minutes of ending a workout session is number one on our list of post workout recovery routine items.
Drinking enough water helps flush your system of toxins, rehydrate your body, and avoid negative post workout ailments like cramps, dizziness, or heart palpitations.
Post Workout Cool Down Stretches
Your workout may be over but a proper cooldown period is a must. Simple stretches at the end of your workout will keep your body loose and limber, healing muscle strain. We also recommend adding simple stretches to your post workout recovery routine at home the day after a hard workout to continue keeping your body from tensing up.
Using Cold and Heat Therapy for Post Workout Muscle Healing
Alternating cold and heat therapy is a popular post workout recovery routine for professionals and amateurs alike. The cold will help prevent inflammation and is a first step in post workout muscle recovery. Afterward, heat therapy will keep muscles from seizing up and getting stiff. It also helps improve blood circulation and delivery essential oxygen and nutrients throughout your body.
When applying a cold press never make direct contact between the ice and your skin. This can lead to accidental skin and tissue damage. Heat therapy can be administered in a number of ways. One of the best ways is in a zero gravity chair! Combining the health benefits of zero gravity chairs with heat therapy functions greatly enhances your post workout recovery routine and helps your body stay in top shape. It’s just one of many zero gravity chair benefits for athletes and fitness lovers!
Take A Salt Bath for Post Workout Recovery
Taking a hot bath helps increase blood circulation and flow to muscles by dilated blood vessels throughout the body. While this is a great post workout recovery home routine, taking a hot bath right after you exercise is not ideal. Instead, take a hot bath several hours after your body cools down to help relax your body.
For better post workout muscle recovery add epsom salt to your bath. The magnesium sulfate will dissolve in the warm water and helps reduce swelling and improve relaxation. You can get plain epsom salt or find a variety of options that include aromatherapy scents for an even better experience!
Use Zero Gravity Chair Massage Features to Relax Muscles
The most popular on our list of the best post recovery workout routines at home is getting a massage. Massage therapy keeps blood flowing, muscles loose, and helps your body recover faster.
If you’re using a zero gravity chair for heat therapy you may already have a model that offers massage functions, as well! Having a zero gravity chair in the house makes this part of your post workout recovery routine that much easier. With everyone’s busy schedules, it’s much easier to work in essential self care routines while never having to leave home. You can relax, take care of your body, and spend the evening binge watching your favorite tv shows guilt-free!
(Learn more here: What Is a Zero Gravity Chair?)
Eat Healthy Post Workout Recovery Foods
Working out depletes your energy stores. In order for your body to recover, repair itself, and get even stronger you have to refuel with the right diet. Eating healthy post workout recovery foods within an hour of your exercise routine is ideal. Your meal should include some high-protein items as well as healthy carbohydrates. Your post workout meal enhances protein synthesis to repair and build new muscle tissue.
Working out and staying active is an important part of your overall health but it doesn’t stop with the last rep. Adopting the best post workout recovery routine at home is part of caring for your body and keeping in top shape. This can include taking a warm salt bath for swelling, eating a healthy diet, or choosing the best zero gravity chair for relaxing and recovering. Make sure you’re taking care of your body with an effective post workout recovery routine that suits your lifestyle!
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