"Enough is Enough"

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You know how fantastic it feels when you have just finished your gym work out? The adrenalin is pumping, the endorphins are flowing and boy, do you feel goooood. I personally rate that first hour after an intense workout amongst the top 3 most amazing feelings in the world. You literally feel unstoppable, unbeatable, and unbreakable. Until about four hours down the line that is.

It happens to the best of us. When you find yourself in the “zone’ of your exercise routine – it could be running, lifting weights, doing squats, or even surya namaskars, you reach a certain point where you are faced with a choice. You could stop and end the session. Or you could push your body just a little further. The endorphin junkies amongst us would choose the second option. And push further. Nothing wrong with this as long as it’s within sensible limits, but once you go there, you have to deal with the consequences. Aching muscles. Pain when you walk, sit down, lie down, get up, and basically make any physical movement other than blink.

And at this point, you need to keep all lines of communications between you and your body clear. It is absolutely essential that you learn to interpret what your body is telling you to ensure that you are not only able to recover from an intense workout, but so that you can come back stronger and fitter. Here are what I like to call the Three Golden Rules.

First things first: ice works. A friend of mine convinced me to start using ice packs on my knees post my outdoor running sessions and since then I haven’t looked back. Trust me, this is the best medicine you could put on any sore muscles you might have after a workout. The cold temperature of the ice works to contract the inflamed muscle tissue and by doing so, prevents that feeling like you cant get out of bed the next day. Just take 15 to 20 minutes post workout to ice the areas which need it and you will be amazed how grateful your body will be. 

Second:  fuel your system. As important as getting an intense workout every so often is making sure you feed your body well after you exercise. During any heavy exercise you are burning a lot of energy, and while its important to burn extra calories, its also important to refuel your system post the workout to ensure that it is able to recover properly. Proteins are the key to efficient muscle recovery so make sure you are getting plenty of egg whites (omelets, boiled, or poached) and chicken (grilled is best) in your diet. If you are a vegetarian, load up on soya, tofu, and pulses (dals, chickpeas, kidney beans).

Third: rest. Perhaps most important of all the rules, this one is also hardest to follow, especially for those of us who looooove to sweat. But the best thing you can do for your body after an intensive exercise session, or a minor injury, is to rest it. Listen to the signals your body is sending to you. Rest it for a day or even two between workouts and you will appreciate how well it can bounce back.

So be smart with your body and come back harder, better, faster and stronger!