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Whether you find exercise uplifting, contemplative, or therapeutic, it's tempting to get carried away by the positive feelings you experience. But remember: Make time for active recovery rather than working out hard every day and never taking a break. It requires time to rest for your body to recover effectively and grow stronger between intense workouts. Additionally, you may approach the point of diminishing returns, or the point at which additional exercise doesn't produce any further advancement, if all your body receives is physical stress without any relaxation.
Consider it this way: If you give your body enough time to adjust to the physical demands, it will have a chance to 'catch up' and become stronger.
Here are some reasons active recovery should be part of your weekly exercise regimen.
When you exercise in a way that is less strenuous than your typical training days, this is known as active recovery (also known as active rest). This could be doing yoga or gentle stretching, going for a stroll, or jogging slowly. An active recuperation day often consists of simple, low to moderate-intensity exercises. For instance, if you're training for a marathon, you can take advantage of an active recovery day to stroll or attend a mild yoga class to improve your flexibility.
Working out at a lower intensity helps boost blood flow to your muscles and tissues, speeding recovery from your prior session. Increasing circulation makes it easier for your muscles to absorb nutrients (such as oxygen and amino acids) and heal themselves. Additionally, it aids in the removal of waste products that accumulate during exercise and are linked to muscle injury and exhaustion (such as hydrogen ions and lactic acid).
In addition, easing up for an active recovery day can provide a welcome mental break from rigorous training.
Self-massage, or self-myofascial release, is a type of active recovery that can be done with a massage gun. Self-myofascial release, a technique for massaging the connective tissues around the muscles and bones, has numerous recovery advantages, whether you use a foam roller or a massage gun.
Some health and fitness professionals think a massage gun can improve the range of motion and alleviate tightness, discomfort, and inflammation.
According to a review in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, a self-myofascial release may improve the range of motion and lessen delayed-onset muscle soreness after strenuous exercise.
