In our daily hustle to perform at our peak, whether in sports, work, or personal life, we often overlook a critical component of success - recovery. As we conclude the series on our holistic view of Physical Performance, it's time to shed light on this final and essential pillar.
Recovery embodies the strategies and techniques crucial for rejuvenating our bodies and minds, ensuring that we stay on top of our game in all walks of life. We will explore its importance and discuss strategies and products to help you quickly return to top form. Plus, we delve into an exclusive interview with Dr. Allison Brager, a renowned neuroscientist and athlete.
Recovery Unraveled: More Than Just Rest
Recovery is not just about taking a break. It is a multifaceted process that involves optimizing the body's ability to recuperate and adapt to physical and mental stressors. The Recovery Pillar in physical performance highlights the importance of ample sleep, stress management, nutrition, and targeted recovery techniques. These elements together contribute to minimizing the risk of injuries and ensuring sustainable performance levels.
Why is this important? Just as a car needs to be refueled and undergo maintenance to run smoothly, the human body needs adequate rest and rejuvenation to function at its best. Your recovery strategies directly influence your physical performance and overall well-being.
The Expert's Take: Dr. Allison Brager on Recovery
We had the opportunity to interview Dr. Allison Brager, who seamlessly merges the worlds of science and athleticism. With her extensive background as a neuroscientist and CrossFit athlete, she shares her insights on recovery and performance.
What does physical performance mean to you?
To me, physical performance is a direct measure of readiness. How ready are you, given the situation, your mood, and the time of day, to give it your all when the job/situation requires it. But, we as humans can't and shouldn't go hard in the paint every day. As such, the other elements of physical performance is tailoring rest appropriately so that you can be ready to perform with it matters most.
How can physical performance look different for different people?
Performance is not a one size fits all, ever. We, as humans, are a genetically diverse species that live in different environments and have different daily demands. These epigenetic factors apply to performance as well. Everyone is different.
What does recovery mean to you?
Recovery is active and passive. Passive recovery comes through a process we can't control - sleep. Active recovery is a conscious effort to breathe better (nasal breathing), eat better, hydrate better, and supplement better. Active recovery lends to more optimal passive recovery.
In your eyes, what goes into recovery from a physical performance perspective?
Recovery is instrumental in the programming of intensity and duration of physical performance. Hard training days require more recovery (active and passive). Full rest days need to maximize recovery on the front end (first-night post-training) and back end (night post-rest day. Also, some days we may need to train, but our bodies aren't up for it, and we need to be okay with that.
What routines, habits, and lifestyle choices are most important in your recovery?
Sleep, duh. Quality sleep of at least 9 hours in duration. Hydrating throughout the day, supplementing with electrolytes and Fuel during the day and creatine at night. Using PR Lotion on really hard days when I predict DOMS and DOMF.
What have you done personally or with people you have worked with?
Focus on quality sleep and maximizing sleep and recovery on the front and back end of rest days. Supplementing with electrolytes and Fuel always, and using PR Lotion for those really hard days and competition.
Finally, if you could give people one tip to improve their recovery, what would it be?
Sleep naked. It hypothetically increases sleep quality by helping you thermoregulate better during sleep. Plus, our ancestors did it, so it's part of human evolution! Also, who doesn't psychologically benefit and relax from naked cuddles with your partner?
Products to Accelerate Recovery
As a follow-up, we asked Dr. Brager to list her favorite products to aid in recovery from physical performance. She ranked Creatine, PR Lotion, and Elite Sleep at the top of her list. To complement these recommendations, we offer a range of products to accelerate your recovery process:
Recovery and Protein (Whey or Plant-based): Products to support muscle repair and growth post-workout.
Sleep Pack and Elite Sleep: For enhancing the quality of your sleep which is crucial for recovery.
Accessory Supplements: Inositol, Apigenin, Magnesium Threonate, L-Theanine, and Turmeric Ultra for additional specific recovery support.
As we conclude our series, it's important to remember that recovery is as significant as the effort you put into your performance. A well-rounded approach to physical performance embraces the Recovery Pillar as foundational. Sleep, nutrition, stress management, and utilizing the right products can revolutionize the way you perform day in and day out. As always, our goal at PRlotion.net is to empower you with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in every aspect of your life by helping you seamlessly integrate the three pillars of physical performance.