Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays. Now this week, we are talking to those of you who are working out consistently but don’t feel like you are recovering well. What things can you start doing with your workouts and between your workouts to help your body recover so you can continue to exercise on a regular basis?
1) Include Structured Recovery Days
Our first tip to help you recover better from your workouts is to include structured recovery days throughout your week and month. These days often get left out of most workout plans because exercise is commonly thought to be the times when you are pushing yourself. However, making sure to include days that are intentionally designed for recovery can help you continue to exercise day in and day out.
Action Step: Build in one to two days per week where you are working out but using less weight and doing fewer reps while still utilizing your full range of motion. Incorporating active recovery days will not only prepare your body to workout harder in the subsequent days, but it will also keep you consistent with your workouts.
Related: Recovery Exercise – Three things you can do to recover better from your workouts
2) Add In Light Cardio Exercise
Our second tip to help you recover better from your workouts is to add in light cardiovascular exercise where you keep your heart rate around 120 beats per minute (BPM). 120 BPM seems to be a nice exertion level for most people where they are actively using their muscles, their respiratory rate increases, and they are sweating a little bit, but it’s not too high where they feel fatigued.
Action Step: Find one day each week to do 20 minutes of light cardio activity with your heart rate at approximately 55% of your maximum heart rate or at a max of 120 BPM.
Related: Soreness after your workouts? MAT® can help!
3) Schedule With Your Local MAT® Specialist
Our third tip to help you recover better from your workouts is to schedule with your local Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT®) specialist. MAT® is designed to help muscles recover by finding muscles that aren’t working well and getting them working better. When muscles get overused, such as during exercise, they can stop working well, putting extra stress on other muscles to compensate for them. By getting the underworking muscles working better, it can relieve this stress and allow your body as a whole to recover better from your workouts.
Action Step: Find a time to schedule your next MAT® session with us here. Not local to Chicago? Find a certified MAT® specialist in your area here. For more information on MAT®, download our free eBook here.