How to Speed Up Muscle Recovery in 7 Steps

June 22, 2020

When it comes to staying fit and active, one of the biggest hurdles for most people is skeletal muscle pain, soreness, or injuries. The human body is like a machine; when one gear, or muscle, is not operating at its highest potential, the rest of the body is also affected negatively. This is why muscle recovery techniques are not only the best way to avoid injury, but also should be your go-to for keeping your body functioning at its highest potential. 

To understand how to treat muscle pain and soreness, you have to understand what is causing those aches in the first place. Feeling pain in certain parts of the body is often the result of that part of the body being overused for one reason or another. When overuse occurs, the muscles in that area suffer a breakdown in muscle tissues that lead to stiffness and pain.

The breakdown of muscle tissue is the root cause of most muscle pain and decreased functionality. While there are plenty of measures you can take to prevent muscle damage, most active people will deal with some type of muscle pain or soreness in their lifetime. This is where utilizing these seven muscle recovery strategies can help you continue to stay active without allowing muscle damage to slow down your drive.

How to Speed Up Muscle Recovery in 7 Steps 

1. Get adequate sleep. Muscle recovery is proven to be stunted by sleep deprivation as the body is not allowed enough time for damaged muscle cells to regenerate. Not only do you need enough sleep, but the deeper you sleep the better your body will be able to promote cell regeneration. Utilizing Hemp CBD Oil as part of your health supplement regimen can be a very effective aid in promoting deeper sleep that improves the body’s ability to restore damaged muscles. If you’re curious about CBD but not sure which dose is right for you, I invite you to use this free CBD dosing guide. 
   
   
   
2. Maintain a high-protein diet. Much like getting good sleep, getting enough protein in your daily diet is both a preventative measure and a treatment option for muscle damage. Proteins are a proven essential in muscle cell regeneration, speeding up muscle recovery, and building more muscle mass. Keep in mind that all proteins are NOT created equal. Confirm your chickens are free to roam and fed a soy free diet. Research your beef to make sure it is grass fed and grass finished and your fish is wild caught. There are great non-meat proteins as well, such as peas, spinach, lentils, and beans. 
   
   
3. Stay hydrated. Without adequate hydration, the body is not able to get proper blood flow to the muscles, which literally causes them to contract and directly leads to muscle tightness. If you’ve ever had days where you just didn’t feel like you were 100 percent physically, more often than not, the root cause is dehydration. Drinking water throughout the day and at night consistently gives you a much higher probability of consistent peak performance and overall health. A great rule for water consumption is to have half your body in ounces each day (i.e. if you weigh 150lbs, consuming 75 oz of water is ideal.)
   
   
4. Practice flexibility exercises. Sleep, hydration, and a high-protein diet are the building blocks of muscle regeneration, but this is a bare minimum. When the body suffers muscle damage, not only is the muscle weakened but a build-up of scar tissue occurs. This scar tissue then contributes to decreased mobility of the muscles by blocking blood flow to already damaged areas. This can lead to injury, pain, and soreness.And this cannot be prevented by good sleep and protein alone. Stretching before and after a workout or practicing yoga in conjunction with other muscle treatment therapies is essential in order to maintain a high level of physical mobility.
   
   
5. Utilize Chiropractic and Physical Therapy techniques. Chiropractic and physical therapy are one of the most important ways to treat damaged muscles that are being stunted by scar tissue build up. It’s an essential part of any muscle recovery practice because the less the body is treated for muscle damage, the quicker its overall mobility will deteriorate. By treating sore spots where scar tissue build up is occurring, the body’s flexibility will see improvement. Some methods for this include using foam rollers, kinesiology tape to stretch out tight spots, flexibility exercises such as yoga and pre-workout stretching, as well and heat and ice therapy to reduce swelling in inflamed muscles. Chiropractic adjustments will support your nervous system’s communication. The more connected the body is to the brain, the better it brings the body back to homeostasis and ease.
   
   
6. Reduce inflammation. Inflammation caused by muscle damage is an important aspect of muscle recovery to take action on. Heat and ice therapy can help reduce that inflammation by reducing swelling allowing for more blood flow to get to damaged spots. CBD is also a highly effective way to reduce inflammation by calming down swelling and reducing aches and pains. Using the Healing Flower Calm Balm muscle rub in conjunction with ice and heat therapy can be a highly effective treatment for damaged muscle spots. This is a popular treatment among our customers who practice weightlifting, who run, are fitness trainers and more.
   
   
7. Consider Muscle Activation Therapy (MAT). Every part of the skeletal muscle system is connected in one way or another. It is an extremely detail oriented system and one muscle suffering damage can trickle down to other closely connected parts of the body. While physical therapy can help with restoring damaged connective tissues, MAT is a highly effective practice that one can weave into their physical therapy routine. MAT therapy is essentially the process of massaging and stretching certain pressure points across the skeletal muscle system that then lead to increased muscle and joint efficiency and reduced tightness across the body. For example, certain tight spots in one’s back can lead to decreased mobility in the legs, and alleviating that back tightness can then lead to improved mobility and even faster running speed. MAT therapy looks different for everyone based on their needs, but understanding how connected our body is all around can help anyone improve mobility and get the most out of every part of the body.

These 7 tips to speed up muscle recovery, when used in conjunction, can not only help treat current muscle pain, but over time can help prevent soreness and lead to improved likelihood of staying injury and pain free after physical activity. CBD is a perfect addition to any muscle recovery routine by helping reduce inflammation naturally, promote better sleep, and relax tense muscles. These strategies utilized together can greatly help you improve your overall physicality.

Which steps will you leverage to improve your muscle recovery efforts?

- Dr. Jimmy Lopez
Healing Flower, Founder
Chiropractic Physician

Ready to try our CBD Infused Calm Balm Muscle Cream? Click here to get yours today and receive 25% off with code: CALMBALM at checkout. Here's to your health!

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