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Using the right recovery process to help with blood flow, muscle repair and more to reduce hard workout downfalls
How to recover after a long run… it’s a broad topic. It depends on so many factors, like what it is we’re doing in the first place, what weak areas of our bodies do we need to accommodate for, and how exactly is one simple foam roller going to cover it all?
Thankfully, these posts give you the right direction to figure out some top tips yourself. It’s not hard, it’s about learning the little things that can have big impacts. From foam rolling techniques (and yes, this can be used on most parts of the body) to chocolate milk (we’ll get into that one later), you have plenty of options when it comes to recovery.
In other words, you don’t really have an excuse not to look after yourself properly.
Let’s find out why.
Hydrating
The first thing you should think about, whether it’s from a 10K run or a half marathon session, is hydrating. You need to replace the fluids lost, and the minerals contained in those fluids, to help your body heal. Sweating is a huge cause of vital fuel loss, but make sure you use an electrolyte mix as they’ll be flushed out with too much water use.
Post-match meal
Funnily enough, eating is important here too. You want to increase blood flow, replace lost energy and diversify your body’s fuel sources. Sore muscles need repairing, and part of what helps with that is something like chocolate milk, Endurox, yogurt and granola, banana and peanut butter bagel with orange juice. You want to aim for a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein.
Glucose is also a massively important fuel source. If you, for example, like many runners, need to work after, then you’ll want to be able to actually think too. Glucose will aid recovery of the body and is an essential post-run nutrition aid.
Stretching
Another obvious facet of recovery, stretching helps to remove strain from the thin layer that covers our muscles (the main reason for aches). As one of the best recovery tips going, using a foam roll (or foam roller if you prefer) to help stop stretching is a brilliant idea. Especially after cross-training sessions where muscle soreness may be a new concept.
Conclusion
To summarise, these are just a few steps to aiding post-workout recovery. You could be using an ice bath, diet bars for post-run recovery and more.
FAQs
Should I stretch after a short walk?
You shouldn’t need to unless you’re recovering from injury or have a particularly weak walking ability.
