Five Ways to Speed Recovery and Avoid Missing Out On Your Favorite Activities
Fear of missing out - the ultimate motivator! Active adults don’t like sitting out. For many, staying active serves as our primary stress relievers, how we make friends, and build a community of those who value what we value. Which is why when we suffer an injury playing sports it’s important to get back to the activity ASAP.
Today we provide five ways to speed your recovery so you can avoid missing out on your favorite activities.
1. Move
Our natural inclination after an injury is to rest. Many traditional doctors still put people in boots and crutches for minor sports injuries. It’s been shown that longer periods of rest after an injury contributes to more scar tissue build up and decreased motor function that will almost always lead to more injury risk later on down the line.
The truth is the sooner we get pain free movement back into our routine the quicker and better we recover. Movement helps decrease pain and improve fluid drainage for faster recovery!
2. Alternate Heat and Ice
Heat or ice – the age-old question. Both have their place in the recovery cycle but work best when combined. Icing alone helps decrease (numb) pain but slows the inflammatory and healing process. Heating alone can relax muscles but exaggerate the inflammatory process and increase pain.
By alternating heat and cold we get the benefits of both – pain relief and improved blood flow for a faster recovery.
3. Natural Supplements
If you know me, you know I’m not a huge supplement guy. But when it comes to performance and recovery there are plenty of natural supplements that have research to back it up. Bromelain, Fish Oil, Ginger, Turmeric all have strong anti-inflammatory properties that can help speed your recovery.
Incorporating these substances with real food is the best way for your body to absorb the nutrients – but will also respond to pill/capsules as well.
4. Use Your Mind Muscle
Growing research is suggesting that we can speed the healing process using out mind. Using meditation and imagery techniques use all of the senses to create mental images, feelings, and sensations related to a desired outcome as though it is happening now or has already happened.
5. Drink Water
When dealing with an injury, hydration is an essential part of the healing process. In a dehydrated state, out body will pull water from our skin and muscles to protect our organs. Which is why maintaining proper hydration is necessary for effective healing and keeping our muscles in an optimal state and giving our bodies a better Chace to heal naturally.
How much varies on body type – but our general recommendation is half your body weight in ounces.
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