Tips to aid workout recovery, fitness gains

As science has provided more information on how to move and strengthen our bodies, it has also gleaned valuable data on the benefits of having a strategy for recovery from those challenging workouts.

Muscle tissue regeneration, reduction of inflammation and nutritional refueling all happen during the recovery phase of exercise.

Estimates suggest that NFL athletes in 2024 will spend an average of $50,000 to $100,000 on recovery tools and techniques. That may be beyond the budget for the average person, but there are a few simple and inexpensive tactics we can all incorporate to help us continue making fitness gains.

■ Sleep: Sleep is the most important part of recovery, and no other recovery method really even comes close to it.

It’s during sleep that hormones, such as human growth hormone and testosterone, kick into high gear and start tissue repair.

It’s been noted that limiting screen time prior to bed, sleep sound machines, and masks that block out all light can help create a good sleeping environment. Sleep aids such as melatonin have a 50 percent response rate among users.

Many brands of sleep trackers are available to monitor the efficiency and quality of your sleep. This technology uncovered how eating too close to bedtime and caffeine and alcohol consumption can hamper our sleep.

Sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker, author of “Why We Sleep,” recommends keeping a consistent nighttime schedule to enhance the quality of your sleep.

■ Nutrition: It’s been said that you can’t out-train poor nutrition. Proper nutrition will not only fuel your workout with carbohydrates but also provide proteins to aid in tissue repair and combat our cells’ inflammatory response to training.

Minimizing processed sugar intake to reduce inflammation after a tough workout can also do wonders.

Eating green leafy vegetables can detoxify the liver, so that it can function better in producing hormones.

Prioritize protein in your daily diet that is rich in the nine essential amino acids. (These compounds cannot be made by our bodies and must be obtained through diet.)

■ Contrast baths: Cold-plunge baths and contrast showers have proven to improve recovery. It’s documented that the ancient Romans used this technique.

The objective is to contrast from hot to cold. The warm water will open the blood vessels and improve blood flow. Then switching to cold will shunt blood to the internal organs as a protective mechanism. Then repeat the cycle.

You want the hot cycle to be three times longer than the cold and to repeat this cycle three to four times for optimal results. This has been known to decrease inflammation and reduce the amount of lactate in the blood.

■ Dry saunas: The heat from saunas promotes blood flow to tired muscles, helping them recover faster.

A study published by the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport showed that participants who used saunas after workouts experienced significantly less delayed onset muscle soreness than those who did not.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a cell biologist, cites improvements in cardiovascular fitness, lower risk of dementia and a decrease in chronic inflammation among the benefits of dry sauna use.

■ Breathing: Discussions on the healing effect of breathing exercises and meditation have been going on for centuries. The brain is the control center telling your body how to respond to stresses.

A 2016 study accidentally stumbled upon the neural circuit in the brain stem that plays the key role in the breathing-brain control connection. This circuit is part of what’s been called the brain’s “breathing pacemaker,” because it can be adjusted by altering breathing rhythm, which in turn influences emotional states.

Further research suggests that slowing down your breathing increases “baroreflex sensitivity,” the mechanism that regulates blood pressure via heart rate.

As with any innovative programs, I would not recommend focusing on these recovery methods all at once. That can be overwhelming and is a recipe for compliance failure. I recommend you tackle one at a time and document the changes you experience over time.

Doug Sheppard is a certified personal trainer with 33 years of experience and owner of J&D Fitness Personal Training Studio in Las Vegas.