6 Simple Recovery Strategies for Yogis
Written by PURE Yoga Dallas student and Holistic Health Coach: Lauren Clepper of Lauren Austin Wellness
Starting off the new year at Pure Yoga has been full of exciting challenges and opportunities to *stretch* yourself in new ways than ever before – pun intended. 😉
With this year’s theme focusing on ‘Courage Over Comfort’, it’s exhilarating to see everyone stepping outside of their comfort zone and trying new classes at the studio, doing 30-day challenges, and even training for the recent USA Regional Yoga Qualifiers!
As we think about the resiliency we gain from pushing our bodies and minds to new limits, it’s also important to balance out our training with recovery strategies that can nourish and reset our bodies. Incorporating recovery is essential for sustainability of a long-term yoga or fitness practice. It also allows our bodies the rest and repair it needs to rebound quickly and adapt to the demands we place on it.
While our bodies are designed to handle stress—such as the kind that comes from an intense hot yoga class—too much of any kind of stress can lead to allostatic overload. This is a state where your body’s stress response systems become overburdened and dysregulated. [1] Not only do we have stress from challenging workouts, but we also face stressors from work and life pressures that all attribute to our allostatic load. When we think about giving our bodies ample recovery time, considering the total stress load your body has accumulated can help in determining a recovery protocol that fits your needs.
Below are some simple, yet very effective strategies in helping boost recovery in between workouts!
1. First and Foremost, Prioritize Sleep
Getting enough sleep on workout days and rest days alike is arguably one of the most impactful factors in exercise recovery. When you sleep, you allow your body to slow down and engage in recovery as it activates the parasympathetic system. [2] This is your “rest, digest and repair” state. Additionally, after you fall asleep, human growth hormone is released into the body to help repair itself. When we don’t get enough sleep, less growth hormone is produced, making it so our body can’t fully repair. [3] This makes getting sufficient sleep fundamental to the recovery process.
2. Refuel After Class With Clean Nutrition
After a hard workout or yoga class, refueling with minimally processed foods can support a faster recovery. By pairing a protein and carbohydrate source for a post-workout snack, you can use the protein to help rebuild muscle tissues and the carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores – which is your body’s first choice for quick energy and is stored in your liver and muscles for easy access. [4]
3. Rehydrate + Consider Adding Salt!
Hydration, especially after a hot yoga class, is critical for post-class recovery. While we are losing water, we are also losing electrolytes, so replenishing post-workout will aid in recovery. To restore hydration levels faster, you can add electrolytes or a pinch of salt to your water. [5] Using an electrolyte brand like LMNT can allow you to replenish sodium, magnesium, and potassium levels without added sugar.
4. Incorporate Active Recovery on Off-Days
When planning out your workouts for the week, build in some time for active recovery. This could look like a walk, light stretching, or low-intensity movements. When you incorporate active recovery, it will help promote blood flow, which is beneficial in delivering oxygen and other nutrients to your muscles, enhancing recovery. [6]
5. Add Foam-Rolling Into Your Routine
Similar to active recovery, foam-rolling can give you the benefits of increased blood flow. The improved circulation helps stimulate the lymphatic system to remove waste products, such as lactic acid. By making foam rolling apart of your regular routine, you’ll have the added benefit of increasing range of motion by smoothing out the connective fascia tissues that wrap around your muscles. [7]
6. Consume an Antioxidant-Rich Diet
If you are recovering from an injury, including a wide variety of antioxidant-rich foods into your diet can help in reducing oxidative stress and reducing inflammation. [8] Turmeric specifically is a well-studied herb that is known to help with inflammation due to its powerful antioxidant properties. Consume turmeric with black pepper to enhance bio-availability and allow for better absorption! [9]
By implementing some of the strategies above that support recovery and looking at the cumulative stressors in your life, you can better build in recovery into your day or week. In the spirit of being in this ‘Courage Over Comfort’ season, I challenge you to implement a recovery strategy (or several) to support your specific health goals. From post-class nutrition and hydration to forming good sleep habits, and building in active recovery or foam-rolling time, you’ll be able to customize your own personal recovery strategies to fit your active lifestyle and keep you feeling energized!
Sources:
[1] Mallof, Molly, MD. (2023) The Spark Factor, HarperCollins Publishers
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6542468/#:~:text=During%20non%2DREM%2
0sleep%2C%20parasympathetic,compared%20with%20that%20during%20wakefulness.
[3] Shaw, Amy, MD. (2021) I’m so Effing Tired, Mariner Books
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7796021/#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20av
ailable%20evidence,Refuel%2C%20Repair%2C%20and%20Rest.
[5] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-008-0748-0
[6] https://www.verywellfit.com/active-recovery-3120779
[7] https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/foam-rolling-101-heres-what-you-need-to-know
[8] https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2018/03/anti-inflammatory-foods-injury-healing-through-nutrition
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
