Rest & Recovery...

What are the keys to the proper rest and recovery of our bodies after vigorous exercise?

It's been a long week with lots of opportunities for players to develop soreness in their muscles. Every player is going to develop soreness in different areas depending on what kinds of activities they are used to. I know my boys could hardly walk down the stairs yesterday! (c:

Over the last four days we've encouraged our children to run faster, harder, longer and in different ways that their bodies are not used to. In the process of doing this their muscles have been stressed, stretched, even slightly torn (which is normal and not a bad thing) and in general broken down. Your body naturally wants to fix this problem and even correct it in such a way that the next time the body is subjected to that kind of activity it will achieve proper performance with minimal breakdown in muscle structure.

This in simple terms is called getting in shape.

It's important to understand that your body repairs, rebuilds and strengthens its muscles only when it is given proper rest and enough time to recover. This is how athletes get quicker, faster, and stronger. However if proper rest and recovery time is not taken we can actually become weaker.

Here are some keys to proper rest and recovery:
1.) Understanding the difference between short term and long term recovery, and leveraging both of them to your advantage.
2.) Recovery does not necessarily mean inactivity. "Active Recovery" is essential to removing chemicals that your muscle cells have produced during intense exercise.
3.) Fuel your body with the right nutrients it needs to recover. It's essential to have plenty of water, protein and carbohydrates after intense workouts or competition.
4.) Sleep well. While a full grown adult can operate effectively with just 6-8 hours of sleep, children 9-12 years old need 10-12 hours of quality sleep.
5.) Find other ways to increase new fresh blood flow to your muscles. Icing your sore muscles is a key way to bringing new blood with important nutrients that will help to rebuild and strengthen your muscles.

In summary, eat right this weekend, get out and walk a couple miles to get your blood flowing and stretch out your sore muscles after, and get a good night's rest.

Hope this helps! See you on Monday refreshed, rebuilt and ready to go.

Sincerely,
Coach JC