5 Strategies for Optimal Recovery

Why is rest so important anyway?

Last week I wrote about the importance of taking a break and not pushing through burnout or fatigue. If you missed it, check it out here.

This is one of the trickiest concepts for some people -- myself included! -- because our culture often prioritizes productivity at all costs and views rest as "lazy" or simply not useful.

There's a reason phrases like "Never miss a Monday," "No Days Off," "Sleep is Overrated" are common! (Spoiler alert: they're also completely wrong.)

When it comes to fitness, activities like HIIT training and two-a-days are way more popular -- and considered "better" -- than rest days and active recovery.

But if you're training really hard at the gym, your rest and recovery become even more important. And if you're not seeing the results you think you should, or if you're feeling tired and crappy all the time, you're probably long overdue for some quality R&R.


Why Are Rest & Recovery Important?

As I mentioned last week, exercise places stress on the body. So do things like work, family situations, financial hardships, pandemics, etc.

In small doses, stress is beneficial. For example, the stress of hitting a deadline at work spurs you to action, while the stress of a tough training session can challenge your cardiovascular or musculoskeletal system to build your strength or endurance.

When we're in a state of physical or emotional stress for an extended time, however, the body can't function optimally because it's overloaded. Stress hormone levels rise, fatigue and inflammation increases, and sleep is disrupted.

Exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system, or the "fight or flight" response, and breaks down muscular tissue. It's the rest and recovery process that restores balance and rebuilds muscle.

If you want to see more results in the gym, rest and recovery is non-negotiable.

Of course, that's one thing people don't want to hear!

For a long time, I didn't either. Like many people, I thought more = more when it came to the gym but not when it came to rest. My "rest day" was 90 minutes of hot yoga, and the rest of the week I pushed through 1-2 classes a day, even when my body was clearly fatigued.

It was a mindset shift to realize that what happens between workouts is equally as important as what happens during workouts.


Strategies for Optimal Recovery

1. SLEEP
It's recommended that adults get 7-9 hours a night. Studies have shown that sleeping less than 7.5 hours per night reduces the amount of fat loss women experience. To increase the amount of sleep you get each night, gradually go to bed earlier until you're hitting your sleep target. For better sleep, keep your bedroom dark, quiet, cool, and electronics-free.

2. Take a rest day
Yesterday I hit about 45% of my daily activity goal according to my watch. That's actually a good thing because I was averaging above 100% for the rest of the week!
Plan for "off days" in your weekly routine, but also be flexible and listen to your body. If you had a rough night of sleep or you're dealing with a really tough situation at work or at home, it's smarter to rest than to push through and risk injury.

3. Gentle Movement
Note to my younger self: a long, intense session of hot yoga does not count as "gentle!"
But taking a day off doesn't necessarily mean sitting on the couch all day, either, although that's what I did yesterday!

Taking a walk, doing some gentle stretching or mobility, getting outside and playing with your kids or your pets -- these are all great ways to speed recovery by increasing blood flow. Movement doesn't need to be intense to be beneficial!

4. Proper Nutrition
Yup, eating properly is key for recovering well! Our bodies require certain nutrients to function, and if we're not getting those, or not getting them in appropriate amounts, we're not going to feel or perform our best.

If you are working out intensely but restricting calories, you might struggle to recover. Remember, we use food as fuel. If we don't have enough fuel, our bodies won't be able to run efficiently. We also use nutrients from food to help rebuild muscle tissue, support our immune function, and manage pretty much every physiological function, so it's important to eat a wide variety of foods! For more on basic nutrition, get my free guide.

5. Fancy Recovery Techniques
When people think of recovery, they often think of foam rolling, massage, cryotherapy, float tanks, salt spas, etc. Those can all be useful, and enjoyable, strategies, but if you're not eating well, sleeping enough, or giving your body time between workouts to recover, their benefits will be limited. Focus on the basics first, then use these strategies in addition to help maximize recovery.


What will you do this week to promote your own recovery?