4 Natural Ways to Boost Muscle Recovery

Whether you’re an athlete, do physically demanding work, or are dealing with muscle aches from time to time, know that there are plenty of things that you can do to facilitate recovery. Some fixes will be related to your lifestyle habits while others will have to do with nutrition. Or you may want to make adjustments to your routine in order to speed up recovery. Here are a few natural ways to enhance the rate at which your muscles recover.

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Sleep Well

Sleep is the number one most important factor in recovery. This is when your body goes into full repair mode. Your amount of sleep, and its quality, will have a direct impact not only on how fast you recover but also on how fast you’re going to see results from your work.

Here, you have to make sure that you start by buying the proper mattress. You should also consider looking at adjustable beds. An adjustable bed will not only help with recovery but will also help reduce issues like sleep apnea or acid reflux. If you want to know more about these, we suggest you check out adjustable beds and compare features so you know what to look for.

Eat Well

You have to make sure that you get enough protein right after your training sessions to boost muscle recovery. This is the moment when your muscles are the most receptive to it. You also want to reserve glycogen levels. Glycogen is the fuel that gives your muscles energy, and when the reserves as depleted, you will lose performance.

The best thing to replenish glycogen level is simple sugars, so that would be the only times when sweets could actually help. As a matter of fact, plenty of athletes and bodybuilders will be eating things like gummy bears and candy right after their sessions to get their glycogen levels back up.

You should also know that what you eat before your workout will also make a difference. This is why some will advocate that you eat protein before a workout as it has been shown to aid in the recovery process

Stay Active

One common misconception is that you should do absolutely nothing on your off days if you want to boost recovery, but that’s complete hearsay. In reality, you want to lightly exercise the area you focussed on during your workout. That’s because light exercise will boost blood flow in the area, bringing nutrients and accelerating the recovery process.

For instance, if you did some heavy leg work one day before, you could do some mild cycling or hiking the next. Swimming is another great low-impact activity that will allow you to actively recover. 

Hydrate Properly

Hydration also plays an essential role in recovery. Water is essential before, during, and after your workout and affects performance. More importantly, being dehydrated will lead to fatigue and will hinder the recovery process.

This is why you can’t focus on only drinking water during your workout sessions. You have to make sure that you drink plenty of fluids after as well, and all throughout the day. Some people go for sports drinks with electrolytes, but there are plenty of other alternatives that you could drink that will work just as well. For instance, research shows that chocolate milk could actually be a great post-workout drink because of the combination of carbs, protein, and electrolytes.

These are all-natural ways that will help boost muscle recovery. Not only will you be able to feel better faster after a tough workout, but also get more work in and better results.