Why is it that so many people think they need to “workout” OR take a “rest day” ? Is it that they believe putting extra effort into exercising will get them noticeable results faster? Maybe they believe their body only needs recovery attention after a workout. Regardless of the reason why, my years in the fitness industry have revealed a pattern in the number of individuals partaking in highly strenuous and athletically challenging fitness routines with the goal of achieving a certain level of physical satisfaction. At the same time I have noticed a declining focus and priority towards the ever essential recovery process. Here at TLF we see the recovery process as a daily lifestyle that positions the body in the best state to recover from the beating taken during workouts in addition to the daily mental, physical, and spiritual beating that come with life.
I believe the key to achieving any form of physical, mental, or spiritual health lives in a recovery based holistic fitness routine. It is important to understand that physical improvement is not sustainable when you spend more of your time in catabolic training (training leading to the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue), than you do in anabolic training (training leading to the building of skeletal muscle tissue). Our bodies have a very special ability to heal themselves when damaged and every time you workout challenging your body to resist, it will respond with chemical mechanisms that work extremely fast to repair any damage done in a way that improves the muscle tissue’s resiliency in future workouts (ex. What allows a weight lifter to increase their max) or (ex. Someone who did not have the stability & strength to do a pushup does one a few months into a personalized holistic fitness routine).
Let’s be clear, whether you are someone that exercises regularly or someone that is getting into fitness and exercise for the first time, you are doing so to get results. What type of results? When? For what? These are questions that I have seen many struggle to answer yet many will go into a gym and spend 1-2 hours beating their body up and MAYBE 15 minutes recovering with a light stretch or sauna. The sustainability of any results you achieve depend on your body’s ability to recover. Remember, your body is not simply recovering from your workout but from your miles walked (for those that work on their feet), or your hours upon hours stuck in one position (for those that sit at a desk all day), or the mental fatigue of children (for my parents) - to name a few.
No matter your goals and regardless of your workout intensity or difficulty level, I believe daily recovery practices are essential to your ability to achieve your goals. More importantly yet, your body’s capacity to recover quickly and efficiently - day after day after day - is the most important determining factor to a sustainably healthy mind, body, and spirit.
~ Coach Tae
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