In the last few weeks we have spent a lot of time taking action on workouts and nutrition. This is great! Now let’s talk about rest and recovery. Many don’t take the time to schedule rest days or recovery sessions into their exercise routine, meanwhile it is just as important as strength and cardiovascular training. Rest and recovery allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Recovery comes in many forms. You can stretch, do yoga, foam roll, go for an easy walk, meditate and sleep. All these are forms of recovery but what best suits your activity?

For those that do a lot of strength training and cycling/running then stretching and mobility work will be key. For those who do yoga often maybe a walk in nature or more sleep will help you recover best.

Is body stiffness or back pain giving you a hard time? Long periods of sitting and lack of movement can make your body stiffer and less mobile. It can also lead to more frequent and severe back pain due to muscles becoming tight during sitting.

Incorporating 2-3 days of flexibility training into your routine can greatly improve your overall mobility and reduce back pain as well as overuse injuries. Frequent stretching can not only reduce body pain and chance of injury, but also relieve the stress that accompanies it.

The same is true of flexibility training. Incorporating yoga or stretching into your rest days has benefits of its own. These benefits include improved physical performance, greater energy and vitality, a positive state of mind, reduced stress, improved posture and balance, less pain, and lower risk of injury.

If you need help building a flexibility routine or want to learn more about the benefits of stretching; we will be offering a class on Thursdays at 515pm, Stretch and Release! This class will include beginner friendly yoga poses and total body stretching. The goal of this program is to introduce you to proper breathing techniques and help improve overall flexibility.

Register for a class HERE.