What’s my weekly routine?
For me, recovery is a four-letter word. It’s necessary to heal the body but when I’m cutting weight I feel like I need to be moving every day to take the pounds off. Sometimes I go weeks without taking an off day, or if I take an off day when I under sleep or drink alcohol, which can delay my recovery.
So, what do I do to counteract that? To help my body recover I have five personal pillars:
1) Rest / sleep
I try to get at least seven and a half hours of sleep each night. Every human body is different, but I know for me seven and a half is perfect. I’m challenged getting sleep right now with the play I’m in, and I’m trying my best to rest as much as I can whenever I have the chance. Rest for me looks like sitting on the couch and enjoying some video games or watching some TV.
2) Ice
I love to ice my body. I love the way it feels. I’m a Wim Hoff fan. If you don’t know who he is, he’s a guy who hiked Mount Everest in his underwear. He’s pretty much insane and he has an entire movement around the power of cold therapy. Check out his Instagram here.
I finish my hot showers with 30 seconds of cold water and I use ice packs after my workouts. I recently discovered these ice packs. They are magical. I love how the fit on the body like a sleeve.
3) Protein & BCASS
Protein helps the body recover. I make sure to keep my protein intake high through the foods I eat and I supplement extra protein through my morning cereal and my protein shakes. I recently added a BCAA supplement to my workout routine. I drink 1-2 servings daily in my water throughout the day. I think it has had a profound affect in muscle soreness. Here are the BCAAs I’m currently drinking.
4) Stretching
I used to have a very consistent in studio yoga practice prior to COVID. I loved taking yoga classes. Now I’ve fallen in love with online yoga. I’m currently using Peloton’s app to take their yoga classes. I like how they have 45 minute classes, which is the perfect amount of time for me. I try to take 1-2 yoga classes a week, normally on any day I’m not teaching STEAM.
5) Massage
COVID totally changed my monthly massages but helped me discover the Theragun. I use percussive massage daily and I think it has helped me feel looser in my body. If you are interested you can check it out here.
I use these five pillars weekly if not daily. At times I need more stretching and less ice, but I pretty much always need more sleep. I hope this helps, and if it does please give me a shout on Instagram or pass this along to a friend who you think this could help. Stay strong, recover with grace and I’ll see you at our next STEAM class or REPLAY.
Onwards!
Ray
