This week, we’re diving into an often overlooked but crucial aspect of fitness: recovery.

Proper recovery is essential for maximizing your results and supporting better metabolic health.

Even if you’re not an “athlete,” you are still a human being, and human beings need to recover.

“We are bombarded with stress every day—physical activity is just a drop in the bucket.” - Ben Greenfield

By the end of today, you’ll understand:

• Why recovery is just as important as exercise

• The consequences of neglecting recovery

• Simple strategies to enhance your recovery

Importance

Recovery is arguably more important than the exercise itself.

If we don’t recover, we won’t grow or improve.

It’s easy to overlook recovery when we’re focused on getting stronger, leaner, and faster, but the truth is, without intentional recovery, we can actually do more harm than good.

The time away from exercise is when our bodies grow, rebuild, and adapt to the stresses we’ve placed on them.

Without adequate recovery, we risk overtraining, chronic fatigue, and even injury.

“In an effort to overcome inactivity when they’re not exercising, some people are overtraining. Exercise is a stressor.… when stress exceeds your ability to adapt, it stops having a beneficial, hormetic effect and begins to cause damage.” - Chris Kresser

Implementation

1. Take Days Off

This may seem obvious, but it’s a crucial aspect of recovery that many people overlook.

We can’t exercise every day and expect to make progress without risking our health.

Overtraining, adrenal fatigue, and burnout can all result from not taking sufficient rest days.

So how long should we rest?

“Do strength-training workouts that target the same muscle groups at least forty-eight hours apart. Muscles take at least that long to recover…. And it’s important to know that your central nervous system doesn’t differentiate between muscle groups. If it’s fatigued, it’s fatigued. So if you do a hard run today, then head to the gym tomorrow, you may find that you can’t press as much weight overhead: Unless you run on your hands and shoulders, that’s not muscle fatigue, it’s nervous system fatigue.” - Ben Greenfield

Takeaway: Rest for at least 48 hours between higher-intensity sessions, even if using different muscle groups.

2. Active Recovery

Active recovery is more beneficial than complete rest.

It involves moving your body at a low intensity, which promotes blood flow and helps tissues heal more quickly.

“The benefit of staying active — versus lounging on the couch for hours — is that you’ll keep blood flowing so you can get rid of the metabolic waste that accumulates in your tissues after a hard workout. Moderate-intensity activity will also boost your circulation, introducing new oxygen and nutrients into your muscles.” - NBC News

Some examples of active recovery include:

• Walking

• Gentle yoga

• Chores around the home

• Playing catch with your kids

• Massage

• Mobility work

• Stretching

I schedule active recovery work into my clients' schedules so that it always gets done.

3. Sleep

We often emphasize the importance of sleep, and for good reason.

Without quality sleep, your body cannot recover properly. Much of your recovery occurs during sleep, making it essential for overall health.

If you’re looking to improve your sleep, here are a few resources:

You Don’t Need to Sleep More. Focus on Sleeping Better

How to Improve Your Quality of Sleep in 10 Minutes

Why We Should Wake up at the Same Time Every Day

4. Nutrition: Eat Adequate Calories

Proper nutrition is vital for recovery.

Your body needs fuel to grow and repair itself. Even if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s crucial to eat enough to support your activity levels.

Undereating can lead to overtraining, adrenal fatigue, and other health issues.

Healthy carbohydrates play an important role in recovery, especially if you’re not on a keto diet.

Chris Kresser suggests:

“Eat carbs after training and eat more on training days…. some recent studies suggest that eating the majority of your carbohydrates at dinner leads to hormonal changes that promote fat loss and improve metabolic function…. if you aim for eating a larger percentage of your carbohydrates after workouts, on workout days, and then the later part of the day, you’ll get most of the benefit of carbohydrate timing.”

If you’re focused on weight loss, make sure you’re still eating enough to support recovery.

For more tips, check out:

10 Ways to Lose Fat Without Worrying About Calories

5. Reduce Stress

Stress is a major obstacle to effective recovery.

It’s crucial to manage your stress levels to allow your body to recover properly.

“Stress is the number-one saboteur of anyone’s pursuit of better performance, recovery, or physique.” - Ben Greenfield

By incorporating these recovery strategies into your routine, you’ll not only maximize your fitness results but also improve your overall health and wellbeing.