Understanding Exercise and Recovery in the Body

Last week on the blog we talked about all natural athletic support. From smart hydration to muscle recovery, we shared tips and all natural products to help you train and recover with ease – without any harmful chemicals. Understanding exercise and recovery can help improve your workouts and longevity.

This week, we’re sharing more about what happens in your body during exercise. Read on for a blog from our store Co-Manager, Bill. As a 3 Stripe Brown Belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, Bill has years of experience with physical conditioning and self-optimization for athletics. In addition, he has helped thousands of Rebecca’s patrons with product curation, recommendations, and one-on-one advice. 

Since all training depends on hormesis, that is, presenting the body with stressors that will cause a specific response, using the minimum amount of training and maximum recovery helps prevent overtraining and injury.

When we train we present the body with signals that the conditions in the world in which it operates are challenging, if not outright bad. Therefore, the body may respond to exercise as if there is a survival imperative to run, fight, or endure. This “fight or flight” is a stress response. The body then readjusts itself during a recovery period, particularly during sleep, to match the conditions, by growing in strength, speed, and/or resiliency. Too much stress and the body can be overwhelmed leading to performance disruption and injury. One must find the minimum effective dose for one’s goals.

Eating for performance

To augment our recovery we can make certain choices to optimize how we train and recover. One of these is our diet.

A diet based on the acquired knowledge of our highly successful ancestors as popularized by the Weston Price Foundation, Paleo, Keto, and other Ancestral diets, provides the hormonal and muscular raw material for adaptation and longevity. Not only is what we eat a critical part of athletic performance but how and when we eat also plays a role. Intermittent fasting, which we’ve written about before, is one of these techniques. Diet is personal and foundational. Although guidelines may be provided by competent professionals and dietary programs, the food journey is bio-individual and multidimensional as far as philosophy, taste, and temperament, and is best explored on one’s own.

Training for longevity

For those of us who enjoy sports or physical activities, be it training, weightlifting, running, martial arts, or yoga, we want to maintain our bodies so we can continue engaging in our activities of choice, even into what was once considered old age. Eating nutrient-dense, clean foods is one way. How we train, how much we sleep, and how we recover are also critical factors in maintaining longevity.

In addition to using the minimum effective dose in training, sometimes best determined by a trainer, rest, sleep, proper nutrition, supplementation can be added to our routines.

Supplements for recovery

As discussed last week, there are many incredible supplements for recovery. Those athletes who take part in especially strenuous activities need to pay special attention to recovery. As we age, our bodies aren’t quite as resilient, and what may have been a simple ache at 18 may be a sneaky injury at 60. Great Lakes Collagen, Barlean’s CBD and Onnit’s Shroom Tech are all supplements that enhance performance and recovery.

As always, we’re happy to talk with you at Rebecca’s Natural Food about your exercise and recovery needs. Training for a marathon? Prepping for a summer trek? Simply trying out something new? Come see us!