By David Saadat, MD

Recovery and the role it plays

Recovery is an important part of fitness. Caring for our bodies after a particularly challenging workout is key to our overall fitness level, and allows us to get more longevity out of our fitness routine. Although it may seem counterintuitive, more exercise can often be beneficial to our recovery process. As long as the “recovery workout” is done properly, it can allow our bodies to heal at a more rapid rate, allowing us to recover faster.

One of the most effective methods for recovery is walking. Often overlooked, the idea behind staying in motion after a hard workout is vital to the recovery process. Walking has been shown to significantly help lymphatic function, which is key for recovery. Our lymphatic system detoxifies our cells, tissues and organs. It plays an essential role in the body’s self maintenance, and is aided by motion. When we walk regularly, especially after challenging workouts, we supercharge lymphatic detoxification by keeping the lymphatic fluids pumping through our body, rather than letting them stagnate when we become immobile.

Rebound workouts are also essential to the recovery process. A rebound workout can include stretches, breathing exercises, foam rolling, and brief explosive efforts such as biking and positive only deadlifts. These brief explosive efforts trigger our sympathetic nervous system, but the effort is so brief that what follows is a reaction of our parasympathetic nervous system, which aids in our recovery. There are many varying rebound workouts, most of which can be found online. Take the time to search through the different options for rebound workouts, and see if you can find a good beginner workout. Implementing these into your regular fitness routine will allow your body to recover faster, and will get you feeling back to normal in a shorter time frame. Give it a try after a particularly hard workout, and feel the rebound workout difference!