Additional steps you can take to optimize exercise recovery:
1. Rest:
Your muscles need time to recover and repair themselves after a strenuous workout. Taking a well-needed rest day or two in between workouts can facilitate the recovery process and prevent injury. You can also work out muscle groups on alternating days, ensuring at least a day of recovery for each group. Be sure to get enough sleep so that your body can replenish its energy. Athletes in training should get at least 9-10 hours of sleep per day.
2. Refuel:
Heavy exercise depletes your energy stores and refueling afterward is vital if you expect your body to recover, repair tissues, get strong and be ready for the next challenge. You should try to eat within 60 minutes after working out and be sure to make it a meal rich in high quality protein and complex carbohydrates.
3. Rehydrate:
You lose a lot of fluid during intense exercise and rehydrating afterward is an easy way to boost recovery. Water is essential for every bodily function and having enough of it ensures that your body can recover and run at peak capacity. It’s hard to pinpoint a recommended amount of water for athletes since factors like metabolism and sweat loss vary greatly person to person. A good rule of thumb is to consume 1.0 to 1.5 ml of fluid for each kilocalorie that is expended. Thus, an athlete who expends 5,000 calories a day needs 5,000 to 7,500 ml (5.0-7.5 L) of fluid intake a day to maintain fluid balance.