Here is webster’s definition of recovery:
Recovery: 1 [count] : the act or process of becoming healthy after an illness or injury :the act or process of recovering — usually singular ▪ The patient made a miraculous recovery.▪ Therapy played a vital role in his recovery.▪ The card said, “Best wishes for a speedy recovery.” [=a quick return to health]▪ She is expected to make a complete/full recovery. [=to recover fully; to have no lasting health problems]▪ She’s on the road to recovery. [=in the process of becoming healthy again]
2: the act or process of returning to a normal state after a period of difficulty [count] — usually singular ▪ the forest’s natural recovery after a fire▪ The army helped with the recovery efforts after the storm.▪ We should see a gradual economic recovery in the next few months. [noncount] ▪ This policy may slow the pace of economic recovery.
This is an area where I really struggle in. I know the importance of it, but want to feel the “Runner’s High” that I get from a workout! But in order to become the best athlete I can be I need to make “rest days” a priority and here is why…..
I found this article in the Columbia Tribune and it gives the “why” into active rest and how it is beneficial to your body.
Fitness experts recommend an active approach to recovery days
We’ve all heard about the dangers of overtraining: fatigue, injury, burnout. In addition to cardio and weight training, most balanced fitness regimens also include recovery days. But that doesn’t mean we’re given a free pass to veg out on the couch in the name of fitness. Many trainers recommend an active approach to recovery.
Crossfit United head trainer and co-owner Nate Bacott said it’s unrealistic to expect yourself to last through consecutive intense workouts.
“The whole premise of doing workouts five days a week straight through is really rough on your body,” Bacott said.
But a day spent sitting around, often referred to as passive recovery, isn’t necessarily the way to go. As Bacott explains, intense workouts often result in torn muscle fibers. The body builds scar tissue as it repairs these muscle fibers, and this scar tissue will take on the shape of whatever position the body is in.
The idea behind active recovery, characterized by light- to moderate-intensity exercise that targets an increased range of motion, is to keep scar tissue from forming in a way that hinders further progress and to hasten pain relief by flushing out lactic acid.
“What I would define a rest day to be is a day where you are prepping your body, recovering it from the previous days of work and prepping it for the next few days of the week,” Bacott said. “Recovery is when you are actively engaged in something whose purpose is to keep your body functioning.”
Grindstone Fitness owner Yvette Nieto, a veteran personal trainer of 20 years, agrees a state of continuing motion is best.
“Clients ask, ‘Do I need to work out every day?’ I say, ‘Well, you need to eat every day. You need to do something every day,’ ” she said.
At Crossfit United, Thursdays are designated as active recovery days. Bacott said the workouts typically involve lengthy warm-ups and a focus on flexibility and range of motion. Members who hear the word “recovery” and skip Thursday activities often aren’t as ready to jump into Friday’s workout as the members who do attend the active recovery sessions, Bacott said.
Bacott recommends an active recovery day every two or three days, depending on the intensity of your workouts.
Nieto stresses cross-training — that is, finding exercises that target underused muscles and giving overused muscles a rest — is vital to preventing injury and boredom. For active recovery, she is especially fond of yoga and Pilates.
“I think of yoga as an internal massage. It’s a good stretch,” she said.
A runner might spend a recovery day cycling or rowing or perhaps take the impact away from the activity by running in the pool, Nieto said.
A mental break is another important aspect of recovery days.
“While working out is great and it’s goal-oriented, the one thing you’ve got to do more often than not is to get out of your element and just have fun doing a physical activity. That way, you’re not wired for stress,” Bacott said.
“You can do a fun Zumba class. I think that’s a fun way to make your mind go someplace else,” Nieto said.
But that isn’t to say it has to be a structured activity.
“It could be going to a park, going for a walk,” Nieto said.
Bacott said a long, brisk walk is especially good if you “stop every few minutes to do some active stretching or motions with the shoulders and hips,” he said.
“A rest day is not a ‘be lazy’ day. You need a day to yourself where you can unwind, reboot, watch sports, go play with your kids, go hiking — small stuff that gets your head out of the gym,” Bacott said.
Now that you know the importance of active recovery, what recreational activities are you going to try to make resting “FUN”?
Post in the comments below:
Fit Chic