Thoughtful Thursday…Importance of proper recovery…and more!
Welcome to Thoughtful Thursday. This GreenNote Fitness newsletter mindfully gathers and distills useful information that is supportive to our journey. It is my mission to educate, inspire, and propel you into action that moves you towards your goals and life of purpose. Take control of your journey today.
Fit and functional, that is what I encourage your focus should be on this summer. In the newsletter "Getting back to basics…”, we looked at four areas that will help build a fit and functional body. Part of building the body is allowing for recovery. This week we get back to basics with understanding the importance of recovery and why it should be part of your training routine.
“Proper recovery is essential for peak human performance because it allows the body to bounce back stronger".
A common misconception is that if we aren’t constantly lifting heavier weights at the gym, adding lots of miles by hitting the pavement, or going at full-speed with high-intensity training every time we workout, that somehow we are not doing our best and won’t see any improvements or even loose fat! Nothing could be further from the truth.
As former commander of the Navy SEALs, Mark Divine explains, "recovery is the yin to the yang of training..A training plan without a plan for recovery is a plan for failure.” Recovery and training; there is a rhythm or balance between the two. When we are in-tune with the body and mind, we can tell when something is “off”, something just doesn’t feel right.
In fact, there could be many negative effects of not recovering properly. If you are one to go-hard every day all the time, take heed as we are about to see how not recovering can effect the body.
A few effects of “under"-recovery:
Muscles - reduced ability to put on muscle mass, decreased muscular strength and power
Hormones - decreased testosterone, dysregulated cortisol, hypothyroidism
Nerves - neural fatigue, poor performance
Blood - lowered immune system, more frequent sickness, more susceptible to food sensitivities
Bone - loss of bone density, depletion of bone-building minerals, increased risk of injury and stress fracture
Metabolism - decreased fat-burning ability, “skinny-fat” or weight gain, blood sugar dysregulation
Post-Event Recovery
One way to recover is “post-event recovery”. Not long ago, I would complete a grueling SEALFIT workout (designed by Mark Divine) and feel like I needed a nap. I was left feeling just torched with energy depleted from my body and mind. Was this good for me? What I was missing was proper recovery after my training. Divine recommends 10 minutes of recovery for every hour of training as a general rule of thumb. Some gentle stretching or even just an easy walk would have some benefits. Where I noticed the best recovery method is with yoga and stretching. The yoga poses I do for recovery are the same ones I do each and every morning as part of my morning routine. This image shows a great position to open up the hips and back.
Until I implemented what commander Divine instructed for recovery, I continued to feel like I need a nap. As Mark explains, you are missing an opportunity to reset your nervous system, pull energy back into your body and recharge your mind. “…it is natural to want some downtime. Don’t ignore that urge, plan and take the time to recover. You have given all that you have, pushed the limits, put out…now retreat, draw in and rest.”
This is one type of recovery. There are many more. We will look at those in coming GreenNote Fitness newsletters. This is your summer to build a fit and functional body which includes proper recovery. It is when we recover that we get stronger, our muscles repair, and our bodies adapt to stress during exercise.
How is your recovery?
Enjoy your journey,
Lisa Schaffer
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Did you miss last week’s newsletter on Getting back to basics…?
