Most individuals, including fitness experts, at times, overdo it. Although fitness professionals still know the need for training hard, they don’t make a conscious effort to balance recovery time and training intensity.
Whether you’re committed to hitting your groove with a cardio exercise, regular workouts, Pilates, or morning runs, it is important to know what to do after exercising. Some of the things you need to do after working out include:
1. Have a Massage
According to research, you will require a post-workout massage after exercising. It can enhance recovery time and improve muscle strength.
While lactic acid, which builds up in the muscles, might be painful, it’s a worth temporary pain that has a sweet relief afterward.
If you’re unable to get an expert to rub you down after exercising, get a form roller and try a few moves at the comfort of your home.
2. Replenish Energy
Since working out depletes energy, it is important to ensure you replenish energy with beta-alanine supplements and snacks. This will optimize your recovery, enable you to perform better, and minimize muscle soreness.
Just aim to have something in your stomach within one hour after exercising, as the body’s capability to refill muscle stores reduces by around 50% after this point.
3. Change Clothing
This seems like a no-brainer. However, perhaps you’re rushing to get to a school drop-off line that you cannot have enough time to change clothes.
Even when you’re unable to change all your clothes, it’s vital to remove wet clothing, such as socks and underwear.
Soggy workout clothes may trap some moisture, contributing to the growth of germs, yeast, bacteria, and fungus that lead to:
- Skin infections
- Breakouts
4. Hydrate
Hydration is equally important as taking food after exercising. Remember to drink water throughout the day consistently, and especially after working out.
Your body is only capable of absorbing four cups of water in just one hour. So chugging a whole gallon of water will not help.
A rule of thumb you need to follow after working out is to consume around two glasses of water after losing a pound of weight.
5. Get Two Days of Resting
Regardless of how properly you prepare for sports, you must recover faster so you can be ready to exercise again.
Skin, heart, joints, lungs, and muscles are some of the body parts, which are loaded heavily during a cardio exercise.
So if you’re looking to regain all the lost nutrients, recover those loaded parts and remove bodily wastes ASAP.
6. Freshen Up
Avoid taking a hot shower after exercising. Instead, have a bath using cold water. This will lower your body temperature and reduce the risks of getting body soreness the following day.
Even when you don’t sweat profusely, consider taking a cold shower after working out. With this, you will also prevent getting contaminated with bacteria you might have come into contact with at a gym.
Final Say!
You must use the recovery process after exercising to gain a lot of benefits and allow the muscles to heal. Always give yourself enough time to rest every time you feel you require it.
Remember also to have a post-workout recovery routine to rebuild muscles and restore lost energy safely. If you get yourself too rigid regarding your post-workout routine, adjust it accordingly.