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Butcher's
Dog! Regular outdoor fitness tips from the
canine on creatine. Cold wet nose and glossy coat
guaranteed.
Recover When You're
Jiggered!
You've pushed it hard - maybe a long mountaineering day
or a hardcore backpack, perhaps you've been adventure racing
or running or biking. The end result is the same, heavy
legs, fatigue and, the next time you go out, that weak,
hollow feeling.
You can make things a lot better though by following our
simple recovery tips. Here's how:
Eat Quick...
Immediately after hard exercise, there's a short period
of about 30 minutes when your body is screaming for
carbohydrate to replenish its depleted glycogen reserves.
That makes it the best time to start refuelling, miss the
window and it'll take a whole lot longer.
You don't have to eat a huge amount by the way. Cake or
biscuits are fine, but the ideal solution is a mix of
carbohydrate with some protein, like a chicken bagel
for example. Tests show that the protein helps your body to
absorb the carbohydrate more efficiently. Steer clear of fat
which may slow the process.
Eating now will greatly speed up your recovery times, so
do it.
Recovery Drinks
If you're super keen or super knackered, several sports
nutrition specialists sell specially formulated recovery
drinks with an optimum blend of carbohydrate and protein
for fast absorption. They do work well, but are quite
expensive.
Don't neglect overall hydration either. It's had to drink
enough on the hoof to match water losses when working hard,
so make up for it afterwards. Not only will dehydration
impair your performance during exercise, it'll also slow
your recovery aferwards. If your pee is a dark colour then
you're dehydrated, aim for a light straw hue.
Stretch and Warm
Down
Oh dear, it's all starting to sound a bit Olympic, but it
needn't. Just take ten minutes to do some gentle stretches
then go for a gentle stroll to stimulate blood flow and
flush some of the debris out of your muscles. It's
particularly good at reducing soreness and stiffness the
next day...
Sleep It Off
If you've trashed yourself good and proper, look to sleep
around seven to nine hours that night. It's while you sleep
that the brain releases growth hormone into your system that
then directly helps rebuild damaged muscle fibres, so go to
bed :-)
Active Recovery
Its definitely not a good idea to do two really hard days
on the trot. By hammering an already weakened body you can
find yourself in a downward spiral of tiredness. Recent
research though, suggests that 'active recovery' is better
for your than just putting your feet up in front of the
telly.
That could mean a gentle stroll or a short, very
30-minute gentle bike ride - the idea is to stimulate blood
flow and it should feel effortless, almost as if you're not
working at all. Swimming also works well.
If you're really tired, then do an active recovery
session next day then rest completely the day after
that.
More Ideas...
There are plenty of other recovery options - top athletes
increasingly use ice baths after training to speed
things up, unfortunately they tend not to be widely
available on mountain campsites.
Massage or self massage helps blood to
circulate and flush out waste products from the muscles.
Have a hot bath or shower then stroke the muscles for around
20 minutes working away from the extremities and towards the
heart.
Have a hot shower or bath then stretch and relax
afterwards. Stay off your feet to help your muscles relax
more easily, then go to bed...
How Do You Know When You've
Recovered?
You can judge a lot from how you feel, but a good general
guide is to take your resting pulse first thing in
the morning, while you're still in bed. If it's more than a
few beats higher than normal, it's a good sign that either
you're ill or you haven't completely recovered, so avoid any
high intensity activity.
A bit of attention to recovery makes a huge difference,
so take the time to sort yourself out :and you'll be going
stronger and for longer -)
Yours barkingly
Woof!
The Butcher's Dog
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Gwen Buchan
