By Cindy Cassell PhD, RD, LD
Sports Nutritionists and Exercise Physiologists

Training sessions and competitions can make you feel totally exhausted. If you don’t recover properly, you will not be ready to perform well during the next training period or competition. A failure to recover adequately can eventually lead to dehydration, over training and poor performance. Below are two examples of clients that may benefit from proper recovery methods.

A female high school track athlete has just finished a 2-mile warm up and is ready to compete in the 800-meter preliminary heats for the regional high school meet. If she places 1st through 4th she will have to run again in 2 hours for the final. Should she simply concentrate on resting for between the events, or should she be most concerned about refilling her carbohydrate stores and body fluids before she starts to warm up again?

Another scenario that plays out in this city during the winter sports season is the age group swim meets. How would parents and coaches advise this athlete? During morning competition, an age group swimmer competes in three preliminary races and qualifies for the evening finals in each. What type of rest versus recovery carbohydrates should this athlete take in the next 6 hours to perform their best??

All sports medicine professionals have been faced with questions about how to best recover from one bout of exercise and prepare for the next. There are many myths and half-truths about the best approaches for recovery and there is far more published science on optimal preparation for exercise than on how best to recover from exercise.

A group of sports medicine professionals with extensive research background in exercise physiology and sports nutrition as well as practical backgrounds in dealing with recovery were recently asked what are some recovery tips to help athletes better understand the recovery process and how to enhance it 1.

So what is optimal recovery?? All of your body systems should be returned to the state they were in before exercise. You also want to rid your body of excess lactic acid and other waste products, replenish all energy sources you used for fuel, fill up your body with a fluid reservoir, minimize any muscle or joint damage resulting from exercise and re-energize your brain cells. Below are some recovery tips that help accomplish optimal recovery and get you ready for the second and possible third round of competition.

• Don’t Lie Down on the Job
You can speed up optimal recovery and removal of lactic acid from your muscles by continuing slow movements for up to 10-20minutes after competition. So don’t just stop and lay down.

• Stretch Mostly After Exercise, Not Before
Wait until your tissues are warmed up by exercise and then start your exercises that emphasize stretching. This will minimize muscle soreness and may help prevent future muscle pulls and other injuries.

• Fuel Up Fast
The muscles are primed for quick restoration of carbohydrates immediately after exercise, so don’t wait to start eating foods and drinking beverages rich in carbohydrates. Fresh fruits, drinks, energy bars, peanut butter sandwiches all contain lots of carbohydrates

• Fill Up Your Tank
Body fluids are lost in sweat and quickly replacing that fluid is crucial. Fluids are needed to maintain your blood volume so you can deliver oxygen and fuel to your muscles. With sweat your can’t help keep your body temperature at safe levels. You should top off your body fluids by drinking an hour or so before exercise, try to replace as much as sweat as you can during exercise, and replace any body weight lost during exercise by drinking while you are recovering

• Healing Helpers
When your muscles and joints are aching after exercise, you may be experiencing the effects of inflammatory processes and swelling that follow minor damage to your tissues. To minimize this inflammation, try using massage therapy, cold packs around joints and alternating cold and hot whirlpool baths. Don’t expect miracles because these techniques may or may not work for you but many athletes find them helpful.

• Finally SLEEP WELL
There is no replacement for a good nights sleep. Sleep helps you get physically and mentally prepared for your next workout or competition. You simply can’t perform at your best over a period of time if you are not alert and can’t concentrate on your sport. Some athletes may get by a few times on less than 7 hours of sleep but poor sleep habits will eventually lead to poor performance. Full sleep recovery is 7-8 hours of sleep but for some growing athletes 8-10 may be more appropriate.

References
1) Gatorade Sports Science Exchange Roundtable, V12, #4, 2001

Cindy Cassell is a professor and registered dietitian in private practice with Nutrition Access. Nutrition Access provides nutrition counseling for individuals, physician offices and corporations as well as professional speaking for groups