Former rugby fly-half BEN SEYMOUR shares his essential guide on how to recover from those tough training sessions and take your wellness seriously…
There was a time when only professional athletes had the ability to utilise effective solutions to help themselves recover from a tough training session, stress and everything life threw at them. Everyone else was told to stretch, foam roll and get some sleep. While those strategies are fine, there are far better solutions to help you feel better faster and they are more accessible these days.
There has also been a big shift in mindset from people feeling that they should only prioritise recovery/wellness once they have reached burn out or if they have become injured, however this old-school attitude of working hard, playing hard and not taking time for self-care has thankfully started to quieten down due to more people speaking up and acknowledging burnout and the major side effects that it can have. As a result, more people are taking their wellness seriously and they are incorporating recovery practises into their routine. Aside from obviously helping your muscles recover, another beneficial effect of using recovery treatments is that they can also help to manage your cortisol levels – when this hormone is not under control it can reap havoc on your body.
WHAT IS CORTISOL?
Cortisol is the hormone that is produced when we add stress to our body, and it is often referred to as the “stress hormone”. Not only is it vital for helping your body regulate blood sugars, reduce inflammation and metabolise, but it is also the hormone that is activated as part of your “fight or flight” response. An example of a common use of cortisol would be if you are doing a HIIT workout class – your cortisol will rise during the heavy work phase of the workout and then it should align itself shortly after the session if you give yourself enough time to reset. Or, if you are running away from something, your cortisol will again spike to help you run faster and get away.
Your cortisol levels will then even out once the threat is gone. But what happens when you are in a highly stressful environment for a long period of time? What happens to your cortisol level then? If you are mentally or emotionally anxious or stressed for a long period of time, or if you are overtraining and then not recovering, your cortisol is likely to stay high. Over time that will become inflammatory and toxic for the body. That is where unwanted side effects like weight gain, headaches, poor sleep, acne, high blood pressure and fatigue can become an issue, as over a long period of time those symptoms can take a while to recover from. While cortisol is natural and necessary, it is important that your levels don’t remain high over a long period of time of negative stress.
THE BEST RECOVERY TOOLS
Aside from stretching, sleep, massages and of course meditation, there are a bunch of recovery treatments available Australia-wide that can give your body that additional nudge to help you recover. Here are some of my top pics…
NuCalm
By now we have probably all heard of renowned guru and motivational speaker Tony Robbins who sells out workshops worldwide at $10K a ticket! Well, NuCalm is one of his favourite treatments and this one works on the mind to reduce stress. NuCalm is the worlds-first non-drug-based neuroscience technology which calms your nervous system and helps improve your sleep quality. There are three steps to this treatment:
- NuCalm Light-Blocking Eye Mask – blocks visual stimulation and maintains the relaxed state.
- A NuCalm biosignal processing disc goes onto a key acupressure point on the inside of your left wrist. All cells of the human body communicate through frequencies. The NuCalm biosignal processing disc delivers the biological signals your body needs to slow down brain activity and prepare for relaxation. This mimics your body’s normal transition from action to idleness and sleep preparation.
- You wear noise cancelling headphones that send two slightly different binary beats through each ear. From there a third beat is created which makes it hard for your brain to focus on anything else but the beats.
Infrared Sauna
There is no doubt that Infrared saunas have grown in popularity over the years. Rather than a traditional sauna that leaves you feeling sticky and sweaty, they are essentially a “dry heat” sauna that warms the body using infrared rays to promote muscle healing, reduce soreness and detoxify the body. Infrared saunas are great for improving your skin tone, flushing out toxins, weight loss, pain relief, to improve circulation and fight off fatigue. Infrared light itself is popular for both beauty therapists and even with some doctors who have been treating wounds and joint stiffness using certain versions of infrared light.
Compression Boots
This is one of the best treatments for those who are on their feet a lot, be it for work or if you are someone who runs or walks a lot. The NormaTec dynamic air compression boots go all the way from your feet up to your hip crease. When turned on, they will inflate and compress each of your legs like a massage, helping to release lactic acid, muscle soreness and increase circulation. This is a favourite treatment for many people as it is so relaxing. Not only can it helps relieve your muscles, allowing them to recover faster and getting back to doing what you love.
Ice Baths
A less enticing treatment but one that offers a host of incredible benefits. Cold therapy has definitely been trending of late as it is a great treatment for helping to relieve fatigued muscles, it is also great for your mental health due to its ability to benefit the central nervous system, metabolism and your immune system, not to mention that it may even promote a better nights sleep.
For years athletes and fitness enthusiasts have sworn by jumping into the cold ocean or taking a cold shower post workout to help their muscles recover. This is because when you work out strenuously, your muscles get little micro tears. The adaptation happens in the recovery which is why eating a protein rich diet and incorporating things such as foam rolling, and cold-water immersion is handy.
When in cold water, your blood vessels constrict which decreases metabolic activity, reducing tissue breakdown and swelling. Then when your body is no longer in the cold water, there is a faster return of blood flow to the lymph system, which helps your body flush out the metabolic waste that gets built up during a workout. Evidence has also suggested that it can reduce inflammation in the muscles, thus reducing the risk of DOMS which therefore prevents muscle soreness.
Even if you are not big on tough workouts, ice baths are beneficial for your muscles regardless, so if you are struggling with aches and pains from being desk bound or sitting around all day, it may be for you. Cold-water immersion may also assist your muscles in recovery which may reduce your change of injury. It is also great for your mind as you will need to focus, utilise breath work and a bit of meditation to get through a few minutes of being in an ice bath.
Compex Electrical Muscle Stimulation
EMS is a tool that replicates muscle contractions and it can be controlled in the palm of your hand. From a recovery perspective, Compex will help increase bloody flow to the area and also help reduce muscle wastage if injured and unable to use certain muscles. It can also be used to help you “tone up” but without need to exert yourself too much as the technology does that for you.
The device gets placed on certain points of your body such as your quads, glutes, abs and arms and delivers electrical pulses to nerve fibres causing muscle contractions. This is a good option for someone who is time poor, or for someone who has a lot of stress but would like to remain active without increasing their cortisol too much.
Massage Guns
There are some great massage gun products out there with one of the most elite being the Hyperice models which help to decrease lactic acid levels while improving lymphatic function and blood flow. Massage guns are great as you can essentially self-massage with them and go as hard or as easy as you like to release tension in your muscles and remove any knots that you may have. This is a great tool to use after any workout or even if you have any pain just from everyday life – for example, if you are a desk worker you may have neck, shoulder or back pain.
There are many great recovery methods these days that can be beneficial for so many reasons. Whether you are feeling anxious, physically run down or you just want to recover from a strenuous workout or fun run, you no longer need to sit around and wait to feel better – there are many tools that you can use to get you back on track. ■
Ben Seymour is a former Rugby Sevens player who is now a leading Australian personal trainer and co-owner of Recovery Lab, a lifestyle, health and wellness centre operating Australia wide. For more info check out recoverylab.com.au
For the full article grab the October 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
