Some people absolutely adore the gym or other types of physical exercise, while others feel like it’s a chore. If you are someone who is obsessed with the gym you may not be taking enough rest days. Sometimes people just spend the day glued to their couch on rest days, you shouldn’t be doing that. You should be taking active recovery days. Active recovery is the best way to be spending your days off. It allows your muscles to recover without being too sedentary.
Swimming
Swimming a great exercise, but it can also be used for active recovery. It is a very low-impact option, so it is a great choice to help recover your muscles. The water will also help to ease any muscle soreness that you may be experiencing.
Many athletes have pools that they can use on their active recovery days. You may not want to make the large investment that a pool is, but you really should consider it. If you are someone who is big into fitness then a pool is definitely a good idea. You can always finance swimming pools, so don’t let the cost scare you off.
Light Resistance Training
You are still able to hit the gym even on your off day. It can actually be good to do your active recovery at the gym. By doing lightweight but high reps it can help to stimulate blood flow and send necessary nutrients to the muscle tissue that is working. So, try if you are trying to help your muscles recover quickly you can hit the gym and do some lightweight exercises.
Yoga
If you have never tried yoga out then you don’t know what you are missing. It has been used for years as a way to help ease muscle soreness. It helps to send blood to your broken-down muscle tissue which will help to repair them quickly. While doing yoga you will also learn how to take control of your breathing and body. You can head to your local yoga studio or just find some videos online and give yoga a try on your off days.
Steady State Cardio
Cardio is a good idea regardless of what your favorite exercise is. High-intensity training has become the talk of the fitness industry. While there is a time and a place for it, on active recovery day you don’t need to be doing it. By doing steady state cardio you will still be pushing blood into your muscles, without overexerting your muscles. Plus, it is a great way to burn some extra calories without even thinking about it.
Foam Rolling And Stretch
Foam rolling can be done on days that you workout, before or after workouts. You should especially do it on days you are not working out, just to keep your muscle tissue stimulated. Just like with foam rolling, stretching can also be done on days you workout. It is actually encouraged that you stretch every day. Stretching can help strengthen the elasticity in your muscles so that they will be harder to injure.
Taking Rest Days Can Really Help Your Goals
If you are someone who is going hard in the gym all week long with no breaks, then you probably need to reconsider. Active recovery days can really help you to reach your goals. If you are constantly tearing your muscle tissue down and not giving it anytime to recover you won’t see progress as quickly. So, whatever you decide to do on your recovery days just make sure you are getting a little bit of movement in throughout the day.