written by Paul Flicek
Although both are extremely important, rest and recovery often get interchanged as if they mean the same thing, but they don’t. Recovery is returning to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. Rest means to cease work or movement to relax. However, they often go hand-in-hand when trying to recuperate.
Human beings tend to put a lot of stress on their bodies, whether through not drinking enough water, not getting enough sleep, or even working out too much. The busyness of life can often make you forget about the importance of resting and recovering.
Many believe that the only time to make progress is during a workout while the body is under a lot of stress. Although this helps, the most important time for muscle growth is when the human body is resting. While working out, your muscle fibers are being broken down, and resting rebuilds these fibers so you can do more the next time. Without proper rest and recovery, it may be harder to make progress both in the gym and in life.
How do we make sure we recover properly and get enough rest? This question can be answered by making sure we do the small things right.
1. Get enough sleep
The most important time to recover is during sleep. Sleep promotes muscle recovery and helps you reenergize for the next day. We recommend that adults get anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep per night!
2. Hydration Hydration Hydration!
Drinking enough water is key to proper recovery. Water helps every bodily function, including lowering stress on your heart, better hair quality, and improved skin tone.
3. Nutrition
Proper nutrition will help keep the body healthy and increase brain performance. Eating balanced meals full of nutrients will help you feel better and recover accordingly.
It is important to be aware of how much you are doing throughout the day. Both overtraining and under-resting can bring adverse side effects to the body, hindering performance in all aspects of life.
