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Getting the body we want means exercising for at least 5 hours every week. This strenuous routine is often accompanied by nagging aches and pains and feelings of overall exhaustion.  Getting in shape doesn’t need to be painful. Increase your energy in the gym and decrease your soreness by follow my helpful recovery tips:

1) Sleep More!

• During deep sleep, aka R.E.M, our brains excrete Growth Hormone (don’t let the name fool you! Increased levels of growth hormone aids in recovery, not necessarily growth)
• For optimal muscle recovery, I suggest aiming for 8 hours of sleep per night.
• The body makes up for sleep deprivation by requiring more calories per day. The less we sleep, the more calories we eat, and the harder it is to lose weight.
• Cortisol, a stress-hormone, increases your ability to store body fat. The less you sleep, the more elevated your cortisol levels typically become…..making it harder to lose body fat.

2) Incorporate natural anti-inflammatory foods into your diet:

• Blueberries
• Pineapple
• Tea
• Cocoa
• Spices: Garlic/Tumeric
• Omega-3s: Walnuts, salmon, hemp, flax seed (or 1-2 servings of Omega-3 Supplement)

3) Avoid Natural Inflammatory foods in your diet

• Saturated Fats
• Processed Foods
• Vitamin E
• Too much Omega-6 relative to Omega-3 (it is best to maintain a 3:1 ratio)

4) Eat More Protein

• Muscle repair requires an increase in protein intake. Ideal protein intake should be 1 gram of protein per pound of body-weight per day

• For example, a 130 lb individual that exercises regularly (3-6 hours/week) should consume 130 grams of protein per day. If you need a better idea of what that measures out as, then five palm-sized chicken breasts equals approximately 130 grams of protein.

5) Bathe in Epsom Salt

• Epsom salt contain high quantities of magnesium, a mineral that most hard training athletes are deficient in. This mineral can be taken orally, but the benefits of bathing in it supersede taking it in capsule form.
• When magnesium is absorbed through the skin, it bypasses the stomach and liver and enhances blood magnesium levels more so than through supplementation. Stomach discomfort, a frequent complaint of those who ingest magnesium orally, is also avoided when magnesium is absorbed through the skin.
• Magnesium forces the nervous system to relax and heat from the bath relaxes the muscles. When these factors are combined you get a powerful recovery-promoting effect.

6) Supplements

I always prefer the “all-natural” path to healing before I go for supplements. If you need help recovering beyond tips 1-5, then here are some supplements that I recommend:

• 1) liquid whey or isolate protein shake mixed with water immediately proceeding your weight-training sessions
• 2) some form of casein protein before bed: options include 1 cup of fat-free cottage cheese, plain fat-free yogurt or Greek Yogurt, or a casein protein shake mixed with water (20-30 g protein for females and 40-50g protein for males)
• 3) Sip BCAAs during your weight-lifting session or during any exercise session exceeding 90 minutes
• 4) Take L-Glutamine in powder or capsule form immediately after weight-lifting and right before bed. It is easy to find this combined in whey protein formulas
• 5) Supplement on Zinc-Magnesium-B6 capsules (ZMA) just before going to sleep to boost naturally-occuring growth hormone levels during sleep
• 6) Supplement on L-Ornithine just before going to sleep

***All of these supplements can be found at www.bodybuilding.com. Please contact me if you have any questions on brand names or doses***

Stay fit, stay healthy, and stay happy!

-Lauren

lauren@laurenkern.com