Do you sit all day in an office? Are you working a rugged manual labor job from sun up to sun down? Maybe you’re just a young athlete gearing up for a meet, match, or game. Regardless of your background, you’ll find that sooner or later your everyday responsibilities will begin to take a toll on your physical fortitude and mental constitution.
That’s why we encourage all of our clients to use sports recovery techniques throughout the year. After all, the benefits of adding sports recovery to your daily and weekly routine, such as injury prevention exercises, flexibility and mobility training, and activities to reduce post-workout muscle soreness, simply can’t be understated. Discover the best ways to implement sports recovery into your everyday routine with our team at IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery below!
How to Add Sports Recovery to Your Everyday Life
Whether you’re trying to reduce post-workout muscle soreness or work on injury-prevention exercises, you’ll find three main benefits when it comes to deliberate recovery practices:
Recovery will allow your body’s muscles to repair themselves after long periods of physical activity
Recovery will allow your body’s hormones to achieve homeostasis
Recovery recharges your brain and staves off long-term fatigue that comes from physical exercise
Take a look at some of the best flexibility and mobility training methods available to help you recover from a long day on the field or in the office:
Sleep: Rest is essential to your body’s recovery. It’s recommended that people, especially athletes, get between 7 and 10 hours of sleep. This valuable time gives your body a chance to recover on many fronts. It allows muscle tissue to replenish needed nutrients and mend damaged tissue. It also allows time for mental recovery. A well-rested individual will have more energy and better focus.
Proper Hydration: We often think of hydrating before a game or practice, or only when it’s hot outside. But staying hydrated during recovery is important, so your body can adequately regulate its’ temperature, and transport nutrients throughout your body. Approximately 90% of the fluid in your blood is water. Muscle contains approximately 75-80% water.
Stretching: A dynamic warm-up and stretch allow the muscle tissue to warm up and lengthen simultaneously, whereas a static stretch is commonly known as a “hold and stretch.” It’s suggested that a dynamic stretch be used before a workout, practice, or long bout of physical activity, and static stretching is used afterward once the muscles are already warmed up. Although stretching might be somewhat uncomfortable at times, identifying areas that are less flexible or feel tight before they become a problem is an easy way to prevent injury and keep performing at your best.
Enjoy Sports Recovery with IMPACT Physical Therapy & Sports Recovery
It’s of the utmost importance that you take the time to let your body recover from a long day of training or work. If you’re ready to get the sports recovery you need, we suggest you schedule an appointment today! Our team is excited to assist you with any aches and pains you may be experiencing!
