Recently I had a discussion with a friend Changs from AgileLab about staying active with minimal down time. When I reached home, it occurred to me that i’ve had similar discussions with other people as well. It seems like it was a common problem for people to go hard on their workout but not doing the necessary to recover from it.

As startups are becoming more common and favored among millennials. People end up setting up their own startup business or working for one only to find out how tough startups can be, and how it takes up all of your time if you are not careful.

Having a balance life between work and health is important to see through the projects or goals we set for ourselves.

Jack Dorsey founder of Twitter and Square wakes up early and kicks off his day by a short meditation session, followed by a 6-mile jog. But how is he able to run 6-miles everyday?

The trick is simple, regardless of what form of exercise you are into. Our bodies need to recover sufficiently to be able to support daily activity. Other than the most important recovery method – sleep. We can speed up the process by incorporating other methods such as Stretching, Myofascial Release Technique, Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS). On top of that, certain foods help promote muscle recovery as well.

Let’s take a look at the 4 most common methods of recovery to help you stay active to keep a healthy mind and body.

Stretching

This is the most common form of recovery for any kind of exercises. Stretching is putting the body in a position where it lengthens a selected part of the body and the relevant muscle fibers. For example, the quadricep stretch – in a standing position, bend your knee and bring your feet to your bum, using your hand to hold it in place.

Most people do this before a workout as a warm up, but totally forgets about it after their workout. However, it should be the other way around. We should fire up the muscles that we will be using by going through the movement. For example, before squatting weights, we fire up the muscles by doing some bodyweight squats. After a workout is complete, we should stretch to loosen our tight, contracted muscles.

You might not know it, but your daily posture will cause muscles to tense up, which is why most people with desk jobs will have stiff necks. It is common for people to do some neck stretching such as turning and holding their head at the maximum angle they can achieve to the left and right.

Myofascial Release Technique

Before we get into the treatment of myofascial release, we have to understand what tissues are we trying to target with this technique and tools. Fascia is the basic term used to describe the connective tissues of the body, when this tissue becomes dysfunctional it is a force to be reckoned with and can be a cause of restricted movement and great pain.

Many times dysfunctional areas of fascia are referred to as knots, ropes, gristle, adhesions, and scar tissue. There aren’t actually knots and ropes under your skin. Instead, what we have is malalignment of tissue due to trauma and injury, poor motor patterns, and emotional distress. Releasing these tissues is simply creating a biochemical and mechanical change that will create more efficient movement patterns in the future.

Below are the most common tools used to release those dysfunctional tissues:

Foam Roller

I personally use this a lot for the lats, lower back, quadriceps, abductor, adductor, hamstrings and calves. For example, to release knots in your quadriceps, position yourself on top with the target muscle tissue in contact with the roller, apply pressure by leaning your body weight and slowly move along the whole piece of the quadriceps muscle.

Trigger Point Ball

For those spots that can’t be reached with a foam roller (deeper tissues) such as the glutes or chest, I like to use the trigger point ball. Alternatively, you could use a lacrosse or tennis ball which will work just as well. If the ball you have is too hard and causes too much discomfort, you can try using a tennis ball instead. It is softer and will absorb some of the weight, reducing the pain.

Roller Stick

I have only used these a couple times. Roller sticks are great for those awkward positions with a foam roller such as your adductors and inner portion of the calf muscles (gastrocnemius). On top of that, you are in control of the pressure applied to prevent injuries.

Trigger Point Wand

I’ve only seen this being used by my physiotherapist for his clients. He said that this is good for those hard to reach areas, such as your trapezius and upper back (serratus, teres, rhomboideus, etc).

At the end of each session, I would always do a test by performing a movement which I had trouble or pain executing prior to self-treating and then perform the exact same movement after. This is how I measure improvement and know that I’m working on the right muscle tissues. Some things to look for are:

• Pain reduction
• Feeling of ease and smoothness in motion
• Increased range of motion
• Reduced inflammation

Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)

 

In most EMS settings, there is a machine that provides an electrical current. Wires from the machine are connected to adhesive patches that are placed on the skin over a predetermined area. Electrical current is then sent from the machine to the patches and delivered into the muscle tissue below, causing a sensory or motor response.

This has become more affordable over the years, and it’s become more popular among fitness enthusiasts all over the world.

EMS used for ten to twenty minutes at very low intensity assists with recovery by stimulating circulation and the exercise it provides promotes capillary density. Increased capillary density promotes recovery by increasing nutrients and waste transported to and from your body.

These sessions can be carried out any time of the day with a wireless EMS devices (see image above). If you have classic model which is wired (see image below) then you’ll have to do it at the end of the day, before bed, at least two hours after your last workout.

Food

Replenishing your muscle glycogen stores should be your priority, followed by liquid to replace the fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat. The types of food you get are important, aim to include foods that are high in antioxidants as they reduce inflammation and decrease muscle soreness. For example, a protein shake with oats, berries and ginger immediately after a workout session.

Choosing the right recovery method

How do you know which is best for you? I would decide based on the sports you partake in. I would recommend stretching and food if there are none to little weights involved, and myofascial release techniques, stretching and food if your workout consist mainly of moderate to heavy weights. However, it is up to you to find what works for you and your schedule.