Recovery - How Full is your Bucket?

There’s a lot happening at the moment and most people’s routines have been completely turned on their heads. There are some new sources of stress in our lives, as well as some that were already there, and most of us are spending a lot more time at home. Social media is full of ideas on how you can fill your time, new exercise routines, and new hobbies to try. It’s tempting to think that we should be throwing ourselves in to doing anything and everything while we have the opportunity.

These changes, stresses and pressures take energy. On top of this lots of us are taking to running, cycling or circuits, exercises that may be completely new to us or that we are doing more often than we would normally. It can take a little time for our bodies to adapt to these changes, so we need to make sure that we don’t overdo it. And maybe there is something else we should be thinking about too. Recovery.

One area that is regularly not given the attention it deserves is recovery. This can be recovery after a one-off 2km run, a hard training session, or a tough season. Recovery is the time where your muscles have the opportunity to adapt to your last workout and where you can prepare for your next workout. In the long term, recovery is where you give any niggles or injuries the attention they need and the chance to heal.

Recovery is about balancing your body’s energy needs and making sure that you don’t end up with an empty bucket.

The 4 Rs of Recovery

Rest

Resting doesn’t mean that you have to sit and do nothing, you can still go out for a light jog or a brisk walk or do some stability or stretching exercises; the key is to keep it at a light intensity.

Refuel (nutrition)

Make sure that you are getting what you need and when you need it. If your exercise routine has changed, you will need to look at your diet to make sure you are matching your needs.

Rehydrate

A sedentary person should drink around 2l of water per day, this increases with exercise. Keep a bottle or glass near you at all times and sip from it throughout the day.

Recharge (sleep)

When it comes to recovery, rest, nutrition and hydration are important, but sleep is the king. Sleep helps your immune system to function properly, aids weight management, and affects your overall health. Think about how you feel when you have had a few nights of poor sleep, your ability to concentrate is decreased, your judgement is impaired, you feel like you are on an emotional rollercoaster, and you will probably eat anything that you can get your hands on. On the flip side, a good night of sleep can make you feel like you are on top of the world.

On average, we need somewhere between 7-10 hours sleep per night (there’s a very small percentage of people who only need around 5 hours, I am definitely not one of them). If you are very active you may need more, high level athletes can need as much as 11-12 hours sleep per day and will generally have a nap or series of naps to help them reach this. If you regularly feel tired, introduce a bedtime routine for yourself, with a regular bed time. If this doesn’t help, increase the amount of sleep you get per night by 30 minutes for a whole week and do this every week until you no longer feel tired.

So, instead of throwing yourself in to a whole new exercise regime, why not take this opportunity to review your recovery routine.