Intense exercise, such as HIIT training and strength training can improve your body composition and cardiovascular health, but your body needs to recover between more intense exercise sessions. That’s where restorative exercise comes in. Here are some forms of exercise you can do during those “easy” days to help your body recover.
Can exercise lower the risk of developing severe COVID-19? A new study looks at the issue and the results are encouraging. Continuing to be physically active may offer some benefits against viral infections in general and, possibly, lower the risk of COVID complications.
Strength training is for building strength and muscle mass while yoga is for flexibility and relieving stress, right? You might think that if your goal is to build strength, you don’t need yoga. However, adding yoga to your routine can improve your strength training performance too. Here’s why you need it.
A healthy immune system is what protects against upper respiratory infections and other viruses. Exercise can improve how your immune system functions. However, there is a window period after exercise where immune function is suppressed for a short period. These five tips will help you optimize immune function after exercise.
What do you do between resistance-training sets? Do you do an active recovery or a passive one? Rest periods are another training variable you can manipulate in your workouts. Find out what the advantages and disadvantages of various rest period strategies are.
What’s your go-to after workout meal or snack? Hopefully, you DO eat after a workout. Read on and discover more about the role nutrition plays in muscle repair,workout recovery and growth and why you need both protein and carbohydrates for recovery.
Recovery time is important, especially if you train hard. One approach to recovery is called a “deload.” Find out what a deloading is, how it can help you, and how to add periods of deloading to your fitness routine.
Muscles love glycogen and they depend on having enough of it. Unfortunately, after an intense workout or one of long duration, muscle cells can be depleted of this important source of fuel. Find out more about the role muscle and liver glycogen play in exercise performance and why post-workout nutrition is so important.
Exercise is a great stress reliever. Regular workouts can make you more resistant to anxiety and depression. But if you are experiencing stress, research shows it may impact how quickly you recover from a workout. Find out what this study shows and how to make sure you’re allowing yourself adequate recovery time between workouts.
High-intensity workouts can be exhausting, especially if you do them for a long period of time. Have you ever felt you needed a nap after a high-intensity workout and just don’t have the energy to get on with your busy day? You might even wake up the next morning feeling tired, especially if you work out more intensely than you’re used to.
What is overreaching and how does it differ from the overtraining syndrome? Find out how overtraining and overreaching differ and how to avoid overworking and stressing your body to the point that it affects exercise performance.
Chances are you’re more focused on what you do on days you actively work out than days that you don’t. In fact, some people feel guilty when they take a recovery day. There’s no need for that. Recovery days are a vital part of any fitness program. Find out why recovery days are important and how active recovery days differ from passive ones.
