So many people jeopardize their whole fitness journey by going too hard: by spending hours in a gym on a treadmill, by eating only 500 kcal a day, by lifting too heavy, by lack of recovery. Sure, there’s a lot of enthusiasm and desire to see fast results, but those people miss the main point of the journey, which is balance and consistency.

Recover is crucially important for your body and mind, and if you workout, you’re putting extra pressure on them. It’s only fair to provide yourself with as much extra recovery, don’t you agree? All in all, if you’re adopting a healthy lifestyle to become lean and fit, you can do it only if you give your body some quality recovery along with diet and exercise.

Why You Need to Recover

In order to get fit and improve your physical condition, you have to put your body under a certain amount of stress. You do it by strength, endurance, and mobility workouts that include lifting weights, HIITs (high-intensity interval training), cardio, etc. After you’re finished, your body gets a chance to get used to the new kind or level of stress, and this is where you get to recover.

The lack of recovery will lead to injuries and incapability of your body to get used to the new lifestyle you’re trying to adopt. All fitness programs have rest days, so if you’re trying to create your own, make sure you don’t hit the same muscle group two days in a row and have a full rest day here and there.

How to Recover Properly

Make sure you use all of the recovery ways mentioned below to achieve better results.

  • Sleep is one of the best ways to give your body a speedy recovery. It also helps your mind get a rest from whatever pressure you endure during the day, whether it’s studies, work, training, getting into a calorie deficit, etc.
  • Proper healthy meals and water.
    Choose the right windows for eating a protein- and complex carb-focused meal with some healthy fats and veggies/fruit and you’ll provide all your body systems with nutrients and energy to recover after the stress you’ve endured. Sometimes, a cheat meal or a special treat is a great way to let your body and mind know you care that they’re working so hard!
  • Find some time after work to get a proper massage, as it will help your muscles and mind relax and get the most of the sleep you’ll get afterwards. The best option is to find a professional to do it, of course, but use any adequate possibility you have.
  • Contrast showers.
    Improving blood circulation will help your muscles recover from the workout and remove the lactic acid from them faster. The latter is the main contributor to muscle soreness you may get the next day.

Recover is as important as the diet and workout plan you’ve chosen for yourself. So make sure to create a complex of resting techniques to ensure success and better results from your healthy lifestyle.