“Can I have a break now?” The Impact of Recovery and Exercise

By William Poole, Health and Wellbeing Leader

For many years, the notion of having a ‘rest day’ or taking time away from exercise has had a lack of interest and, to some, is not seen as an integral component of their exercise journey. However, recent evidence suggests that rest days are critical to sports performance for various reasons. Some are physiological, and some are psychological.

Rest is physically necessary to repair, rebuild, and strengthen the muscles. For recreational athletes, building in rest days can help maintain a better balance between home, work, and fitness goals.

This article will outline some tips on how to maximise and get the most out of your recovery days, further enhancing your fitness, health and wellbeing.

What happens during recovery?

Building recovery time into any training program is important because the body adapts to the stress and stimulus of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Exercise

or other physical work causes fluid loss, muscle tissue breakdown, and the depletion of energy stores (muscle glycogen).

Recovery allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Without sufficient time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to break down from intensive exercise. A lack of recovery can result in Overtraining Syndrome, which is very difficult to break. Symptoms include a feeling of general malaise, staleness, depression, decreased sports performance, loss of appetite, negative mood changes and increased risk of injury, among others. This emphasises the importance that effective recovery plays in the exercise journey.

How can I build a better recovery habit?

To build in short term recovery, known as active recovery:

• Focus on getting high quality sleeping patterns in. During active recovery, the body works to repair soft tissue (muscles, tendons, and ligaments). This is also a time to remove chemicals that build up because of cell activity during exercise.

• Having a de-load week can help aid recovery. This involves reducing the intensity and volume of training sessions to focus on the body’s stress reduction.

• Focus on diet, sleep and hydration. Ensure you consume high-quality protein sources within your diet, reducing caffeine levels and maintaining hydration levels consistently throughout the day. As soon as you wake, you should look to consume water.

• Adding mental practice to your workout routine can greatly benefit anyone. Practising mental rehearsal or following a mindfulness meditation program can help process a calm, clear attitude and reduce anxiety and reactivity.

• Getting familiar with how your mind works, how thoughts can bounce around, and how you do not need to attach to any of them is a wonderful way for an athlete to recover both mentally and physically. Additionally, practising positive self-talk can help change the ongoing dialogue in your head. Consider using both types of mental practice during your recovery days.