Have you just pounded it out at the gym, and sweated more than you have in months? There’s good news and bad news. The bad news? No matter how ‘high’ you got with that 7 mile run, you’re going to have to give your body a day or two of rest. The good news? When you allow your muscles to recover and rebuild, you’ll become stronger, leaner and fitter than ever. Have you been working out without the rest? Keep reading—you’ll want to change that up asap.
Getting Those Guns (Why Your Muscles Need Recovery to Build and Strengthen)
Think about that dish your grandmother made for you growing up. Her lasagna was the best, wasn’t it? It’s a classic and brings you nothing but comfort every time to remember how every succulent bite of noodles, cheese and meat tasted. Growing up, it was your staple—but in order for it to taste so good, it required some ‘prep time’ in the oven. Imagine replicating her lasagna. You cook the noodles, simmer the meat, and apply row after row of ingredients; however, you fail to bake it! Working out without giving yourself recovery time is just like putting together your favorite childhood dish—but failing to accomplish the last, most important step (which is essential to a happy body!)
Whether you want to build your biceps, strengthen your core, or get that sexy back, well, back!—it’s time to recover. Working out your limbs, muscles and revving that metabolism is only one part of the ‘looking-better-naked’-‘getting-your-healthy-bod-back’-and ‘feeling- downright-sexy’ process. Pressing, sweating and lunging is a must, but recovery is mandatory. Here’s why:
- When you work out your muscles, they tear in order to become bigger, leaner and stronger. If you don’t give your body a break for a day or two before your next hard core workout, your body won’t be able to repair the torn muscle fibers. If they don’t repair, you won’t build those biceps!
What to 
Eat, What to Drink
After you work out, you should be famished and you’ll most definitely be dehydrated. Feeling sore? That’s normal, and perfectly ok. Help ease your soreness by drinking up to 20oz of water. Protein allows your body to build muscle, so make sure to grab a high protein snack as soon as you can after your workout has ended. Scramble up some eggs with cheese, tomatoes and avocado, or make a green smoothie with protein powder.
The workout is step one, but after you sweat, lunge, skip, squat and press, you’re only half way there to the fit, strong body you want. Feeling the burn? You’re on to step two—resting your body so it can rebuild muscle. You owe it to your body to do it good!
