Sport is excellent for your physical and mental health. It doesn’t matter what sport you do, if you get your heart pumping you’ll be improving your cardiovascular health. At the same time you’ll be de-stressing, clearing your mind, and generally keeping your mental health in check.

Of course, the issue when undertaking any sport is that you are prone to injury. This is one of the reasons that it is vital to stretch before exercise.

The best approach is to stretch before you exercise and then use the following tips to recover faster afterward.
It is worth booking a regular appointment with a physiotherapist, such as this Darlinghurst massage practice, will help to ensure you are doing the best exercise for your body. They will even take into consideration old injuries.
Here’s how to recovery faster from sport:

Stretches
One of the best things you can do to speed your recovery is stretch your muscles after exercise. This maintains blood flow and nutrient supply as they cool and reduces the risk of cramping, or DOMS.

Ice Bath
You have probably heard about people taking cold baths after exercise to help recovery and probably don’t relish the idea of doing the same. However, a cold bath decreases circulation as your heart focuses on keeping vital organs warm. This decrease in circulation discourages inflammation which helps your muscles to heal faster.
The subsequent warm-up of muscles after your cold bath, or even turning the cold one into a warm one, will encourage blood flow back to your muscles, bringing nutrients to help them recover faster.

Eat & Drink Something
After you’ve finished sport you should make sure you are properly hydrated. It is best to simply drink water as your body is 60% water. This helps nutrients enter cells and removes toxins, aiding the recovery and repair process.
Alongside this it’s a good idea to eat something. You should concentrate on protein as this is necessary for cell repair. In addition, carbohydrates are good to replenish energy levels. However, you should focus on complex carbohydrates that provide a slow energy release. That means avoiding sugars.
Don’t forget, the faster you feel better mentally, the quicker your physical body will recover. There is a direct link between the two.

Keep Moving
Once you have finished exercising it is not an excuse to sit down and stay there for the rest of the day. You’ll want to keep your metabolism going to help burn calories and ensure your muscles are ready for more exercise in the future.
Keeping moving simply means walking around and doing everyday things. You’ll notice the difference in recovery time and your energy levels.

Sleep
The average adult needs between 6-8 hours of sleep a night. This is when your body processes the actions of the day and, more importantly, repairs your cells, ensuring you are fully recovered as quickly as possible.
Getting enough sleep is critical to a fast recovery and your body being ready to exercise again.