Recovery IS A Necessary Evil
I hate rest days but I know how important it is to let your body rest and recover. My advice - Incorporate rest days on a weekly basis - does that mean sit in front of the TV binge watching Netflix?? Absolutely NOT!!
My current workout schedule is 5 days a week, consisting primarily of strength training and CrossFit workouts. On the two days I am not working out, I still try to incorporate some type of movement, whether that is taking the dog for a walk, a yoga class, or active stretching. BUT recovery is not only for the days in which you do not have a workout to do, it can be incorporated whenever you have time.
Here is what my regular recovery schedule looks like:
10-minute Stretching Sessions at least 3 times per week (I have an app that guides me through)
Hot Yoga once a week - some don’t think this counts as recovery but my muscles always feel great after this class
Massage - Twice a month - NOT a deep tissue - just a general whole body relaxation session
Foam Roller - 10 minutes 3 times per week - I usually will do this when I get home from a CrossFit workout.
Theragun - Massager that can be used to focus on specific areas - I use this as needed on muscles that are sore or super tight.
That may seem like a lot for recovery, but I have found I feel so much better when I am incorporating these 5 things into my fitness routine.
What are your go-to recovery strategies?