Diet and exercise, diet and exercise, together they make the magic potion to weight loss and health! Right?! Sure, until it stops working. You hit a plateau, you lose motivation, and you hit up Netflix and potato chips to binge away your frustration.
So what gives? There must be a missing ingredient to your potion…
Most likely, you forgot that your body actually needs recovery to continue progressing. The biggest mistakes people make on their weight loss or muscle building ventures are (1) doing too much too soon and (2) not planning for recovery days/weeks.
So why do we skip it? Recovery sounds like such a nice concept and we should want to feel better, one would think. Truth is, we feel so guilty making time to recover that we make excuses NOT to do it. We tend to think if we aren’t living in a state of soreness and fatigue, we aren’t working hard enough. That results will come faster if we don’t stop – until we literally BURN OUT.
Why is recovery such an important factor in weight loss and toning?
Think of it this way: at the end of the day, exercise is a stress on the body. You are breaking down your muscle tissue with every weight you pick up, every mile you run, every Zumba class you attend. If you don’t help those tissues repair, they can’t grow. If you don’t give your MIND time to recover, you will lose willpower and motivation. From there, it’s a slipperly slope of poor hormone response, nutrient deficiency, and a cycle of mental and physical frustration that often ends in failure.
Now the big question: how often should you recover and HOW do you recover effectively? The specifics are very dependent on your goals, body type, intensity of exercise, job stress level, and age. However, it’s safe for everyone to assume that building recovery into your daily routine will be beneficial.
Here’s a few recovery techniques that can get you started:
- Get enough sleep (7-9 hours a night)
- Drink plenty of water
- Get outside at least once a day
- Stretch and foam roll
- Take your vitamins
More guidance and accountability might be needed to fine tune your recovery techniques. (**Shameless plug for my coaching services**). But your main takeaway is – Don’t skip recovery!
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