How and Why You Should Fit in Recovery Workouts + Other Healing Modalities
Recovery work can go a long way…
Honing in on recovery has been a game changer for me. There are so many options now it’s fun to spend the time checking it all out. I LOVE a cold plunge - but I get it when you’re like OMG no. It takes time and breath work to be able to sustain it. At the same time, warmth is actually the MOST healing thing you can do for your body. The ice bath is great but if it’s not for you don’t worry, go the warm route. There are actually studies about how women don’t need it to be as cold and how they respond better to heat. When you’re done reading all that I’ve shared below, take a listen to this podcast with Mel Robbins who interviews Dr. Stacy Sims (an expert on all things women’s health) here!
A recovery workout (or 2!) is a great addition to any fitness program.
Your workouts should be varied and include pilates, weight training, cardio AND recovery workouts. Recovery workouts are still workouts but have a low impact focus that help restore or regenerate your body to it’s optimal state for future workouts.
What is a recovery workout?
A recovery workout can be yoga, a walk (even better with a weighted vest!), or a recovery focused pilates workout. I love both the barrels and mat work for a recovery focused pilates workout as there are no forces (such as the springs or props). The mat work makes you find strength and length from within and the barrels can be equally therapeutic as they are challenging. The barrels are literally meant for opening your body up and restoring it to proper alignment.
How do you schedule in a recovery workout?
I would suggest you schedule in a recovery workout after an intense workout the day before, after a day of travel, or at the end of the week when you’re feeling really tired but still want to do something. Depending on how you schedule your workouts, your time, your energy, injuries you have, etc. you will be able to fit in 1-2 workouts a week.
What does a recovery workout look like?
To give you an example of how I fit in recovery workouts, I opt for either a yoga class or a regenerating pilates workout paired with either a walk or if it’s the summer, casual bike ride (in the summer when I’m in Montauk, I love riding my bike to and from a yoga class for a casual Sunday morning workout). A recovery workout should make you feel better, relieve soreness, and help improve performance for the next day’s workout/activities.
In addition to recovery workouts, there are so many recovery tools you can use any day!
These make great gifts to yourself or others and truly work! Over the years I have acquired the below and can’t recommend them enough. You don’t necessarily need all of them! These are some of my favorites:
Some of my favorite ways to help my body recover are below:
There are MANY proven benefits to all of these! If you notice, heat is a common factor. Heat helps bring blood flow and proving to be very anti-inflammatory and healing!
Now that you’re read all of this you’re probably thinking, how do I fit all it all in?
The truth is you won’t, and that’s ok! I try to do some kind of resetorative therapies like a bath, sauna, etc. once a week. I try to use one of the above recovery toys, each night. It could be foam rolling while watching tv, rolling my feet before bed, putting on my toe separators when I put my legs up my wall before I go to sleep, etc. Small steps lead to big changes! After a while you’ll find a flow and feel the difference it makes to spend a little recovery time on your body daily/weekly. Be sure to check out my “Pilates for Active Recovery” category in the library to help you care for your body!
I hope you find this helpful! I love using these tools, tips and tricks to help my body recover. If you try any of these, be sure to tag me on Instagram @AshleyPattenPilates and/or comment below!
xx, Ashley