Whether you are a runner, Pelotoner, Crossfitter, a heavy lifter, a yogi, or just out there getting your sweat on.. A good pre and post-workout routine is essential to maintain overall health and stability. Plus, it’s a great way to prepare and reset your nervous system, as well as boosts your body’s resilience factor.

Putting your body through strenuous performance levels requires that we take good care of it before and after. This allows your performance level progression so you can smash any goals you’ve set for yourself.

Here are a few easy and practical ways to prepare your body…

The Warm Up: Raising your body temperature and getting that internal heat pumping throughout your body is crucial when preventing any sort of injury or strain. Take no more than 5-10 minutes to warm up with a brisk walk.

Dynamic Stretching + Movement: Mobility is your friend when you want your body to respond to challenges like lifting weights, distance running or cycling, or any other form of exercise. Opening up your joints not only benefits your range of motion. But it also helps to prevent injuries throughout your workouts and keeps your body feeling balanced after.

Core Stability: Having a strong foundation from the inside out supports all the other movements throughout your workout. And it supports the rest of your day as you go about your life. Learning how to effectively engage your core (i.e. diaphragm, transverse abs, pelvic floor, and multifidi) helps your perform optimally with the endurance you desire.

If you want to learn more about how to effectively engage and rebuild your deepest core strength, click HERE

Here are a few easy and practical ways to help you recover…

Cool Down:  Right away, your body needs an opportunity to de-accelerate and to slow down after any strenuous activity. Think about it like this… you wouldn’t just slam on the breaks in your car when driving on the interstate, right? So give your body the time it needs to calm down and settle into a regular rhythm.

Foam Roll & Dynamic Stretching:  Opening up the areas that were just challenged from an intense workout will help prevent injuries, improves proper alignment and posture, and minimizes soreness the next day.

Eat: Our blood is circulating through our bodies at optimal levels after a workout. By consuming particular nutrients after your workouts (aka post-workout nutrition), you improve your body composition and overall recovery. Lean proteins like grilled chicken or tuna fish, healthy fats like avocados and nuts and of course veggies and salads are all great options to help restore muscle function.

Drink Water: Our bodies are 78% water. We need to remain hydrated so our body’s function properly. Cravings, fogginess, lack of focus, lack of energy are all results of not getting enough water throughout the day and especially after a strenuous workout that involved a lot of sweat. The general rule of thumb is: Half your body weight in ounces… Everyday.

Wash Your Face: If you have sensitive skin, like I do, be sure to wash your face directly after your workout. Once I’m finished exercising and before I leave the gym or my house, I run cool water over my face to wash the sweat and dirt off my face. Facial wipes are also a good alternative to have in your gym bag just in case you forget to rinse your face.

Change Your Clothes: Do not stay in your sweaty gym clothes. It is not good for your hygiene and not good for your lady parts. So take those damn garments off and wash them frequently to avoid blemishes, rashes, and yeast infections.. oh my!

If you found this article helpful and useful, I would really appreciate it if you would share it with one or two (or more!) friends.

And stay tuned for more news.. I’ve got some projects in the works I think you’re gonna love.

Stay healthy and happy, my friends!!

References

1. Boyle, Michael. “A Joint-by-Joint Approach to Training.” T Nation. 20 June, 2007. https://www.t-nation.com/training/joint-by-joint-approach-to-training. Accessed 15 Jan. 2021.
2. Cook, Gray. Movement: functional movement systems: screening, assessment, corrective strategies. On Target Publications, 2018.
3. https://www.juliewiebept.com/stop-leaks-with-running-build-a-targeted-program/
4. https://www.anatomytrains.com/blog/2015/04/27/foam-rolling-and-self-myofascial-release/
5. https://www.tuneupfitness.com/blog/self-myofascial-release-techniques-using-massage-balls/