Relaxation and recovery

People always include factors like Healthy eating, exercise, Sweating, Protein shakes,workouts, squats etc etc. A main component to factor into your new healthy lifestyle or already healthy lifestyle, is recovery and relaxation. People usually go hell for leather when on a new fitness buzz, and can put a lot of pressure and strain on themselves. It is brilliant to be so driven and determined , when training hard and dieting hard you put your mind under a lot of pressure. 

We can sometimes subject ourselves to becoming mechanical from the day to day toil of lifting weights and eating clean. When you train a muscle group you always factor in recovery, whether its a food source or a day off. We don't however consider giving the mind a chance to switch off and recuperate. If left, stress can affect not only your mental health but physical appearance. It has been proven that regularly relieving stress and strain from the mind can improve your body physically. Why not try these methods below

-Meditation 
-Burning Incense
-Yoga 
-Massage 
-A hot bath 
Reduces anxiety and stress 
Why not try with epsom salts which helps relieve aches and pains. 
Draws toxins out of the body 
Reduces swelling 
Relaxes muscles 
Sedates the nervous system
- Lighting candles  

Sleep between 8-10 hours a night -
Human growth hormone is released naturally in the body when sleeping, this is crucial for muscle growth and toning. Meaning the more sleep the better. The brain recharges when sleeping, improving function and alertness .
The best hours of sleep are bewtween 10 - 2 so be sure to be in bed by 9.30 people. 
It is known people who have bad sleeping patterns are more likely to be overweight or have issues loosing weight 
Having a regular sleeping pattern everyday ie going to bed and waking around the same time has been proven to increase metabolism 

A Stanford University study found that college football players who tried to sleep at LEAST 10 hours a night for eight weeks improved their sprint time and had less daytime fatigue and more stamina. This test was also proven successful on tennis players and swimmers 

With that i say goodnight time to recover and prepare myself for tomorrow. Remember don't forget your mind when planning for a fit and healthy life 

Kelly D xx