Recover
Recovery gets you fitter faster.
If there’s one thing that I wish I had known more about much earlier in my journey, it’s recovery. I’ve already discussed the toll it took on my body to get this train moving in the right direction — it was often sore, it ached, and it was tired. Injuries were common. That was just part of the process of introducing strain to a body not in shape – or so I thought. I knew almost nothing about the world of recovery - and it has been a rapidly growing industry over several years.
Last week, I discussed the concept of moving, and recovery is essential to moving. The better you recover, the more you can move. Simply put, recovery gets you fitter faster.
Having now returned from Seattle after the last of the four shows on my two weeks of Pearl Jam, it feels like the perfect time to discuss recovery. Each concert day on the West Coast, I woke up early, ran 3-5 miles or did a strength training workout, had a full workday during East Coast hours, and then danced and jumped the night away. Each of those takes a toll on the body (and the mind). Recovery helps both.
Before my trip to LA the other week, I had worked out a record 54 days in row. I didn’t do it by trying to see how many consecutive days I could reach. I did it because for 54 straight days, my body was ready to go, so working out was part of winning the day. I’ve had a break in my trial schedule since early March and have been making the most of having a more regular work schedule. But mostly, I reached the streak because, during each of those 54 days, I recovered.
When I discuss my recovery methods with one of my friends, he jokes, “you are LeBron!” That’s funny, but it also makes me think about the fact that we often look at fitness gear and recovery tools as being for “athletes.” Which brings me to another one of my favorite mottos: “Live like an athlete because you are one!” To live like an athlete, you need to recover like one too.
There are so many possibilities here to incorporate into a routine. One need not adopt all of them, but everyone should work some form of recovery into their fitness. Trust me, with good recovery, you can do so much more. So here are the various methods I’ve learned in recent years to keep my body as fresh as it can be to take on more strain every day – and they are the reason my friend affectionately calls me, “Lebron.”
My recovery methods . . .
Sleep: Everything starts with sleep. It’s simple, but we can’t always get enough, and the more strain you put on your body, the more sleep you need. Don’t worry if you can’t get the maximum you need. Most of us can’t. Just know that when you are truly sleep deprived, you should be cautious about going too hard if you can’t make up for that sleep debt soon. Also, naps count!
Sauna: Sauna has many health benefits which include better cardiovascular health, reduced inflammation, increased immunity, and improved mortality. In fact, one of those benefits is lower blood pressure, and perhaps not coincidentally, I’ve gone off all blood pressure medicines since I started employing sauna into my daily routine less than two years ago. And keeping the body going, I find it to be one of the better places to recover. I use the sauna several times a week either after a workout or before bed . . . or both! And I love to use it to stretch. If you don’t have access to a sauna, there are some decent infrared sauna blankets out there. I have the Higher Dose blanket because it gets the hottest (although none get quite as hot as the standard infrared saunas I use). The only other downside is that you can’t stretch in it, but you can still heat up, sweat, and stretch right afterwards. This sauna blanket gets packed in my large box of fitness gear whenever I go to trial where there is often no sauna, or there’s no time to get to one during business hours. Just note, if you have a medical condition, consult with a doctor before employing sauna into your routine.
Infrared sauna in the contrast suite at Remedy Place NYC, my happy place.
Stretch: Stretching in the sauna is one of my favorite recovery activities. After about five minutes in the sauna, my body is warm and loose, and it is primed to stretch. The stretches go deeper and further, and this has become a staple of my routine. I bring my AirPods in the sauna (so far, I’ve had no issues with them in the heat even though they are not recommended for that temperature), and am in my happy place. But stretching needs to be done even more often. Before you workout, after you workout, and then just do it some more during the day. If you don’t have time to stretch after you do a 30-minute workout, then consider making your workout 25 minutes. If you still feel like you didn’t have time, then you probably have enough time to stretch even when you do the 30-minute workout. Stretching will increase flexibility and prevent injury. And it is good for the mind. In fact, it was while meditating in the sauna at Remedy that I came up with the idea for this blog!
Massage: Talk about good for the mind and body. I don’t know about you, but every time I get a massage, I tell the masseuse what parts of my body need work and then end up realizing there are so many more areas that need it that I hadn’t even realized. Everyone has different tolerance for pressure, and there are massage types for everyone. I particularly like sports massages that combine deep tissue massage with stretching. The best piece of advice I can give regardless of the type of massage you choose is to communicate with your masseuse during the massage (at least if you are awake). It is so much better when you let them know if they are applying the right amount of pressure – and they appreciate it too. I use Zeel, which is an at-home massage service. It is great to get a massage in the evening just before winding down for bed. Also know that you don’t need a masseuse to work in massage. I regularly use a Theragun both before and after working out. Before a workout is particularly good for loosening muscles and identifying points of stress and muscle tension. It helps me know where my body is going into the workout. I bring my Theragun Mini to all of my trials and on many other shorter trips, like Pearl Jam! It travels well in my carry-on.
Ice baths: I’ve become obsessed with cold therapy! I do both ice baths and cryotherapy, but we’ll save cryo for another time. As for ice baths (aka cold plunge), first start slowly. In fact, start by taking cold showers (another daily routine of mine). The good news – if you don’t like to take the cold for too long -- is that you will get as much benefit from ending your shower with 30 seconds of cold water as you will from 60 or 90 seconds. Then, when you start cold plunging, gradually build up to about 6 minutes. Some even say up to 10-15 minutes. If you have a heart condition or other medical condition, make sure to consult with a doctor before plunging. Benefits include reduced pain, decreased muscle soreness, and a better state of mind. Studies in mice also show that ice baths activate brown fat which helps your body produce more calories (and possibly lose weight as a result). That said, the most likely way that ice baths lead to weight loss is by preparing your body to take on more – and then doing it. My happiest place that I cold plunge is Remedy Place in New York. Remedy is “the world’s first social wellness club,” and the Flatiron location in New York City offers a contrast suite with an infrared sauna and two ice baths that you have for an hour and 15 minutes and fits up to 4 people. Try out different routines between the sauna and ice bath, but end with the ice bath! Ending with heat can possibly worsen swelling or inflammation, and you achieve the most benefit when your body naturally warms itself up. Also note that many gyms now have cold plunges. Mine is TMPL at Lexington. But if you don’t have one, you can also order these giant ice bath freezer bags to use in your bath tub. They have the added health benefit of leaving less room for ice cream in your freezer.
Ice bath in the contrast suite at Remedy Place NYC
Compression boots: These have become all the rage for athletes, and it’s no joke. When I first got my pair of Normatec boots, I did the hardest leg workout I could possibly do – one that was sure to make me sore. I used the boots afterwards, and I just waited for two days to feel sore, but never did. I repeated that again and again going harder each time, but I never got sore – until the time I thought I just don’t get sore anymore, so I didn’t use them. I was hurting for 3 days! The boots work by flushing out lactic acid which accumulates during exercise. Therabody also apparently makes good ones, although I have not tried them. I have only used my Normatec boots, and they are great. These are another staple of my packing list for going to trial (I’m not the only one that brings them!), and it is a great device to use while sitting in my room working on my iPad or laptop.
Doing some important reading in my Normatec compression boots.
Low Impact: Recovery does not always mean rest. Your body cannot go hard every day, so some days you can do a good low impact workout and still recover. Swimming and low impact Peloton rides are my go-to low impact workouts. Peloton also offers a wider variety of low impact cardio, and as the instructors always say, low-impact does not mean low sweat!
Rest: Finally, there are some days you will win by listening to your body when it says to rest. Remember, wining the day is doing whatever you are supposed to be doing that day. Adhering to this is often the hardest thing for me now, and I have definitely lost days by working out when I should have just given my body a complete rest.
Recovery is not an excuse to skip working out. It is a method for working out harder.
Aside from the necessary rest day, know that recovery and working out is not an either/or thing. Don’t use recovery as an excuse not to work out; use it to work out harder.
My last Pearl Jam show (until August) was on Thursday -- 5 days ago. After a much needed rest day, my current workout streak is four days, and it includes golf, swimming, strength training, and rock climbing. Over the past few days, I lowered my sleep debt and worked in every other recovery method I just discussed. I’ve always tried to work hard and play hard. That’s much easier now that I know how to recover hard.
Paying down my sleep debt after Pearl Jam little by little. Data from WHOOP.
Aaron