News: Relax and Recover!

Lifestyle

15 November 2006

What's the most important part of an exercise programme? Cardio? Resistance? Stretching? Core? Diet? Well, you may be surprised to hear that, although all of these factors are crucial in a holistic programme, the most important part is..rest!

Great news - the most important part is the easiest part too!  However, you need to make sure you get it right and, once again, balance is the buzz word - too much rest and you won't get the training benefits you desire, too little rest and you will end up burnt out, stale and possibly injured or ill!

I Rest My Case!  A well planned exercise programme must incorporate adequate rest periods, normally in the form of days off and everyone, regardless of performance level and fitness, should take at least one full day off per week.  The reason for this is that the body needs time to adjust to the stresses of training and without rest it doesn't get it.  Training, of any type, places overload on the body and this is the stimulus for development - the rest period following this is when the positive adaptations such as improved CV fitness and muscle strength take place.  Without adequate rest periods, we are continuously overloading our bodies which can lead to fatigue, losses in fitness, overuse injuries, persistent illnesses such as colds and eventually burnout!  To avoid this, you need to ensure that your programme is well planned.  If you are just starting to exercise you may need four rest days a week whilst your body gets used to the new stresses, if you are more experienced you may be able to plan your training so as that you only take one day off a week.  Whatever the case - remember rest is best!

Recovering Your Breath!  Exercise can leave you exhausted but failure to recover properly afterwards can lead to reduced future performance, staleness and an increased injury risk.  Yes, it's very tempting and easy to do your workout, have a shower, get changed and go home but an extra 5 minutes spent recovering and cooling down can make all the difference.  When we talk about recovering, we are not just talking about one factor, it is multi-faceted and, in essence, what you are trying to do is return your body to the pre-exercise state.  Recovery and cool downs aim to:

• Remove any waste products from your muscles

• Minimise any muscle or joint damage caused by the exercise itself

• Slowly return your body to the resting state

A good cool down will include a 5-10 minutes of low intensity CV work such as walking or slow cycling and stretching of the major muscle groups which have been used during the session. The low intensity activity will help to remove any waste products from your muscles and the stretching will not only aid in muscular development but also help to reduce any post-exercise muscle soreness.

Sleep Well!  The final part of the recovery period is sleep - music to your ears no doubt!  Getting sufficient sleep is as important as exercise itself.  If you have worked your muscles during the day, they will need adequate rest not only to recover from the exercise but also to aid in the repair of damaged tissue and the generation of new tissues.  But sleep doesn't only aid in the physical adaptations to training it also allows time for mental adaptations, such as improving movement patterns, and recovery.  It is recommended that we all get at least 7-8 hours sleep per night which may actually seem like a pipe-dream to some of you but that's what you should aim for!  If you struggle to get this amount of sleep, take this into account - from the age of 35, we start to lose brain cells at a rate of ~7,000/day or 2.5 million per year (we have 100 billion to start with) and they will never be replaced, but you can keep your brain cells in peak condition by getting enough sleep at night!

• More Lifestyle Articles
• Back to the Latest News