Physical activity is supposed to boost your energy, so you may be confused or turned-off to your morning exercise if they make you feel tired or sluggish later in the morning or afternoon. While you won’t have ideal energy levels during every workout, there are a few things you can do to give yourself an advantage. Here are the five tips on how to recover and give you the much-needed energy boost after a brutal workout.
Rehydrate
You have probably heard it like a million times, but drinking plenty of water throughout the day is crucial. After an intense workout, the water you drink is used by your muscles to supply more oxygen, so the rest of your body is likely to feel depleted. So, make sure to drink more and not just when you sweat. If your body becomes dehydrated, you may start to feel tired.
You should drink water before, during and as soon as you finish your workout. Drinking a bottle of fresh water or some lemon water after exercise will give you the hydration you need and can help you feel refreshed and more energised.
Stretching
Tom, from Energy for Life Fitness a Yoga Studio in Brighton, confirms that after training, before your body’s natural recovery starts, the muscles are just tense, broken down and tired. Doing stretches exercise before and after a workout helps to prevent them from freezing up or cramping and can help your muscles to bounce back faster and kick-start this recovery process. So make sure to stretch as your workout is over, while your muscles are still warm.
Eat A Post-Workout Snack
When you are putting in a lot of energy at the gym, it is very important to make sure that you are feeding your body with needed nutrients. Look for something with protein and carbohydrates (ideally 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratios) such as cottage cheese with fruit, a fruit smoothie with Greek yoghurt, a recovery drink or chicken and sweet potatoes. Banana with almond butter is also a great pre or post-workout option as it is balanced with protein and carbs and will keep you energised throughout your fitness session and beyond.
A good idea is to try out a protein or energy bar infused with CBD oil to relieve pain and muscle soreness, improve mood and boost energy levels. The unique compound cannabidiol (CBD) is known to provide various health benefits by influencing special receptors as a part of the endocannabinoid system to ensure relief. You can also find different products like CBD capsules, gummies or tinctures to experience benefits of CBD oil.
Take A Shower
As if it wasn’t enough to think about taking a shower after a sweaty workout in the gym, here’s another reason for it! A cool shower after exercise relieves inflammation in the muscles. Extreme inflammation can later cause pain and discomfort, and a cool shower can prevent this pain while waking you up. It is not necessary to make the water in the shower very cold, but it should be significantly cooler than in a regular shower.
You can also benefit from heat therapy by switching from between warmer and cooler temperatures to help repair muscles and reduce soreness, or taking a warm bath. Heat therapy helps to dilate blood vessels, stimulate blood flow and relax muscles. In fact, both heat and cold can promote healing and prevent muscle damage after exercise.
Drink Some Caffeine
A small dose of caffeine after an intense workout can help as it has been found to have recovery benefits and can provide an additional boost of energy. Glycogen, the main source of fuel for muscles during exercise, is replenished more quickly when athletes consume both carbohydrates and caffeine after intense physical activity, which improves their performance. So, enjoy your cup of joe to burn some calories and recover faster from rigorous exercising!