Exercise as we know has many great health benefits and can be enjoyed by people of all ages and fitness levels. To name a few:

  1. Reduces cardiovascular disease
  2. Increases life expectancy
  3. Improves bone density and muscular strength
  4. Increase brain capacity
  5. Reduces the risk of chronic disease

However, as much as exercise is important rest is equally important.  Our soft tissues need time to heal to allow for repair and growth. After an intense workout it can take anywhere between 7 to 14 days for the soft tissues to repair. I can say there has been many instances in my clinical experience where the “athletes ego” has taken hold and said “use it or loose it” and they reinjure the condition by not giving their body the rest it needs. We should remember that our myofascial tissue does have memory stored in their mitochondria which allows us to maintain our level of activity regardless of how much time we leave between work outs.

So does rest mean we do absolutely nothing to allow for recovery? Not necessarily. Rest may constitute what we call active recovery. Active recovery consists of forms of movement that don’t over challenge those recovering tissues. Movements that are light intensity and work on mobility and control whilst engaging through the full range of motion are great for active recovery. Active recovery can also include cross training to engage different muscles groups that you wouldn’t use in your regular work out. Examples of exercises that I advocate and like to practice myself between sessions include:

  1. Light flow yoga
  2. Swimming
  3. Beach jogging
  4. Hiking
  5. Cycling

This list is not exclusive and should be advised based on the main type of training you like to perform. If you suspect you are fatiguing and having issues recovering from activity and would like to prevent further tissue injuries come down to Neurohealth and I am happy to help.

If you would like more information or would like to book an appointment at Neurohealth Chiropractic – please call the clinic on 9905 9099 or email us admin@neurohealthchiro.com.au or fill in the contact form from our website www.neurohealthchiro.com.au

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This article is written by Dr. Braeden Melmer, Chiropractor @ Neurohealth