10 Best After-Workout Relaxation Techniques | Physical activities slideshows | Well Being center

Stretching

After you exercise its important to include a good stretching routine to help your muscles recover. By stretching the muscle you are allowing the fibres to realign to avoid further tears or knots which can cause pain and injury. There is a huge range of evidence suggesting that stretching also helps to remove the lactic acid that is developed in the muscle during a workout. It will also help to increase your flexibility which is an added bonus to a workout. Stretches should be held for a minimum of 45 seconds per stretch to get the most out of the stretch.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Tony Alter by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/4018987877/
au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/banzai/run/galleries/photo/-/14227807/10-healthy-post-workout-rewards/14227812/
http://voices.yahoo.com/post-workout-relaxation-7555574.html

Enjoy A Warm Bath

When you get home from a workout a good way to help the muscles after a workout is to enjoy a warm bath. The reason for this is the heat draws the blood to the muscles to help it get rid of any toxins or damaged tissue and when you cool down the blood is quickly removed taking the toxins and tissues with it. Many bubble baths and salts are designed to give a soothing and relaxing feeling to help promote healing and try to avoid the muscle soreness felt the day after a workout. Make sure the bath is not too hot as this can cause light headedness.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Nigel Wilson by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/cocca/476564881/
www.fitnessmagazine.com/health/body/pain-relief/hot-baths-and-sore-muscles/

Sauna

Saunas can be found in most gym or fitness centres and its a great way to relax after a workout. Saunas are a form of dry heat to increase your sweat rate and help clear your lungs. By heating up the muscles there is similar effect to a warm bath in removing damaged tissue and toxins, but it also is used to sweat out any more impurities though the skin. When sitting in the sauna you continue to burn calories as your metabolism increases and the body is fighting to cool down therefore its a great way to boost your calorie burn in a workout by relaxing!

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Hotel Der Oeschberghof by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/oeschberghof/5334805561/
www.mensfitness.com/training/sweat-it-out

Soaking feet

Our feet are one of the main areas that take a lot of the stress from a workout; running, cycling, rowing and everything else goes through our feet and ankles therefore its a good idea to rest and allow them to recover in a hot spa or water ppol. The warm water is soothing and allows the tough skin and cracks to soften up and repair as many runners suffer from tough cracked feet due to the overuse. Simply placing your feet in hot water has a therapeutic effect with many people saying the feet are responsible for many emotions or feelings.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Patrick Collins by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/padraiccollins/8243038543/
walking.about.com/od/medfoot/tp/foot-pampering.htm

Have a cup of herbal tea

There are many herbal teas which can be enjoyed after a workout as a treat for your body. There are so many different flavours and types to choose from with a wide range of medicinal effects that there is one for everyone. A common favourite is green tea which is high in antioxidants to fight free radicals and also is a great fat burner to promote calorie burning. Another favourite is nettle tea which is shown to help promote a healthy heart and circulatory system or there is chamomile which is a relaxer to help come down off of the high of a workout.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Ruta Kucinskaite by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/50539054@N00/350706338/
au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/banzai/run/galleries/photo/-/14227807/10-healthy-post-workout-rewards/14227819/

Take a shower, but use shower gel

Obviously it is important to have a shower after a workout to get rid of the sweat and bacteria that has been produced during a workout. But simply splashing yourself with water is not effective enough, you must use shower gel to make sure you get rid of the bacteria to avoid spreading infection and avoid smells. There are many different shower gels on the market but good ones for after a workout are exfoliating gels and muscle relaxing gels to help aid in recovery. If you had a morning workout stimulating shower gels will help you get the buzz back into your day.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Paul Robertson by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/pauliewoll/7521084162/

Meditate

There is new research to suggest that meditation and exercise work well together to promote whole body fitness. Meditation allows you to get your self into a zone which will allow you to centre yourself increasing your determination and motivation. It is also associated with decreasing your heart rate, lowering your blood pressure and boosting brain activation. It is probably best to do this after a workout instead of before because prior to exercise you want your heart rate to increase. But afterwards allowing yourself time to think about the workout and slowly bring the breathing and heart rate down can increase the speed of recovery.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of RelaxingMusic by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/83905817@N08/7676569880
thebeautybean.com/site/fitness-2/how-to-meditate-for-fitness-zen-your-workouts-for-faster-results/

Make a smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to get needed nutrition back into your body without having to eat a full and heavy meal which many people don't want to do after a tough session. Smoothies can be made with a variety of fruits that suit your own personal taste and there is no right or wrong combination. Adding ice to a smoothie will help you to cool down but generally they are packed full of vitamins and minerals which need to be replaced after exercise. Some people even add protein powder or supplements to their after workout shakes/smoothies to boost recovery.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Tim Patterson by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/timpatterson/3710708383/

Massage

Massage is a great way to recover and relax after a tough gym session. There are two types of massage, relaxing and sport massage. Sport is more designed to help promote recovery of injuries and tends to be painful and aggressive. But a relaxing massage stimulates blood flow to the muscles and allows the masseur to divert any lactic acid and toxins away into the disposal points in our body. Massaging promotes the recover of damaged muscle fibres from lifting weights to keep them aligned as tangled fibres lead to knots which in turn leads to pain the next day and increases recovery.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Nick Webb by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/nickwebb/3968718397/
www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/massage-improves-post-workout-recovery

Grab a light snack

After a workout the body is crying out for nutrition in particular carbohydrates and proteins to restore what has been used. Try to avoid carb heavy meals directly after even though you may feel like it, your body cant digest it very easily. Straight after a workout have a light snack on your way out, a good idea is to try a diet shake or protein shake as these are packed full of nutrition and easily to drink as you leave the gym. Or try a banana or fruit/vegetables as these have carbohydrates and water in them to help you hydrate.