Is Skipping This One Thing Keeping You From Reaching Your Goals?

I know what you are thinking … you need to eat less and workout more if you want to reach your goals right?

If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that eating enough of the right foods at the right time is the most important aspect of weight loss. Adding workouts in, while not necessary, will kick your results up a notch. But, today I wanted to talk about a component of a healthy lifestyle that is often ignored and overlooked but is an extremely important component of a healthy lifestyle, and that is active recovery.

As a health and wellness coach, many of my clients come to me not working out and they are fearful that that will keep them from seeing results. In the FASTer Way To Fat Loss we teach the powerful secret of intermittent fasting and carb cycling to tap into your fat stores to burn fat for fuel. When clients who have not been exercising are ready to dip their toe into the pool, I recommend starting with active recovery workouts. Seasoned exercisers are also encouraged to participate in active recovery workouts as there are major benefits for them too.

Let’s chat first about what active recovery is. Active recovery simply means low intensity exercise or movement that aids in recovery or performance. There are lots of benefits to active recovery that are all too often overlooked.

One of the main reasons that seasoned exercisers participate in active recovery workouts is that these types of exercises help remove the lactic acid buildup in muscles helping to reduce post workout soreness. For those new to the exercise world, these activities will not only help build your stamina but will also slowly introduce your body to additional movement.

So what kind of activities are considered to be active recovery workouts? There are many different activities that you can choose from, but some of the most popular and effective ones are ones that are different than you normally participate in on a regular basis. Active recovery workouts should NOT be performed at maximum exertion. These are meant to be performed at about 50% of your maximum effort. When determining what activities you may want to participate in, consider options that can be enjoyed at half effort. Walking is a very popular one to start with. Low intensity cycling, swimming, yoga, stretching, and even foam rolling can be used as active recovery.

So why is active recovery an important component to reaching your goals? If you are looking for long-term results, you need to be sure that you are not overdoing your workouts. You body is under stress when you exercise, especially at high levels for long periods of time. This stress can cause a spike in your cortisol levels making fat loss really challenging. Active recovery workouts, since they are low intensity, are not as much of a stressor to your body, so they are welcomed by your body. These workouts burn calories, improve your flexibility, maintain (or increase) your strength and stamina, and help you recover from tougher workouts all while keeping you motivated.

If you have been skipping out on active recovery workouts, I challenge you to get out there and move your body! Go for a walk, try a yoga class, bust out your bike for a quick ride, or try something new like tai chi! Your body will thank you for the movement and new challenges, and your mind will be clearer too!

Be safe and be well friends!

XO,

Stephanie