Exercising has become a million-dollar business, dominated by technology, supplements and equipment. What is really needed for physical recovery? Recovery from exercise plays an equally important role as the performance itself because neglecting recovery is directly related to progress.
What is the market selling?
The market is full of expensive technology devices, such as massage guns, recovery boots, and LPG treatments. In addition to this, supplements and especially protein powders are very popular. Sleep is monitored with watches that determine your state of readiness. First of all, there is nothing wrong with these, if their importance in recovery is at the bottom of the list. Several massage-stimulating devices only provide superficial treatment. They may temporarily boost blood circulation, which results in a feeling of well-being and a relaxed mind. The long-term effects, on the other hand, are often very small.
Everyone has surely heard the advice about how to consume protein as quickly as possible after training. Protein drinks and other supplements make this really easy. However, few of the users of supplements are fully aware of their real benefits or even their contents. Generally, in a normal situation, a person is able to get all possible nutrients from a diet for recovery and muscle mass growth. The fact that someone recommends a protein powder does not indicate its benefits, even if the recommender himself feels that the product works. Many products in the basic market may contain prohibited substances, as few manufacturers have the resources to test products in a laboratory regularly. Some manufacturers test only a part of the production batches. No powders and pills will fix a poor diet either, if used for a long time and in large quantities, these can also be harmful.
What is needed for recovery?
The most effective trio for recovery is rest, nutrition and hydration. Varied and healthy nutrition and adequate hydration are simple things in principle, but still difficult for many in practice. The second is rest, a constantly exhausting and mentally stressful life, e.g. work easily affects the quality of sleep and recovery. Nowadays, many monitor the amount and quality of sleep with a watch and a ring, which can serve as a good indicator. However, it is good to remember that the heart rate measurement used by watches and rings is not as accurate as, for example, a chest strap. The smart device’s value of alertness can be considered as giving direction, but it is more important to listen to your own feelings.
Technology and various tricks have partially overtaken people’s ability to listen to their own bodies. Therefore, successful recovery requires learning natural things, when these things are in order, you can put money into different devices if you want. Devices can act as additional functions and bring extra relief, but their role should never be primary.