Roll your quads

Similar to massage, using the foam roller to gently massage your muscles, may just be the key to improving post-workout recovery. Grab a foam roller and roll out your quads post-workout. Begin kneeling on the floor. Place the roller across both thighs. Move your body forward over the roller, supporting your body with your forearms and elbows. Roll up and down your thighs, about 3-4 inches, in total. Start with 20 seconds of rolling. Stop if you feel pain.

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Roll Your Quads Post-Workout

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Get Some Rest!

Respect your rest day. Rest IS part of an exercise program. Allowing sufficient time to properly absorb your workout is appropriate to insure maximum results. Program in a rest/recovery day a minimum of one day each week. If you’re exhausted during workouts or have constant achy muscles, consider increasing your rest/recovery period in between workouts.

*Consult a Fitness Professional to determine the appropriate workout for you.

Get Some Rest!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Respect your rest!

Rest days are essential to all fitness programs. In fact, rest/recovery days should be programmed IN to your workout schedule to allow for muscle recovery and mental rejuvenation.

Here’s why you should respect your rest day:

Makes workouts sustainable. Sufficient rest means you’ll have renewed energy to log the next hard workout.

Reduce risk of injury. Rest days allow your body time to rebuild and recover.

Refresh mental focus. Rest days give your mind time to process your workout and the mental focus required.

Maintains interest. Taking a day off from your key activity decreases risk of burnout.

Need a Rest Day?

Join #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter and stay current on top gear, best exercise practices and keys to motivation. Together we solve challenges, share successes and provide accountability and encouragement along the way.

Mark your Calendar NOW:
Every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern) #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter.

It’s easy to join in: Simply log into your Twitter account. Enter #HealthyWayMag to follow the chat feed. Questions for discussion are posed as “Q1″ Question 1, “Q2″ Question 2 and so on. Reply to offer your tips, ideas and experiences by notating your answer as “A1″ to designated your answer to question 1,”A2″ to offer your thoughts on the second question and so on.

Monday December 21, 2015 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat is Sponsored by RecoFit Compression Gear.

RecoFit Compression Gear is a go-to for many world class athletes and fitness-enthusiasts alike! Their technical-fit and uniquely designed gear helps you get more oxygen to your muscles, thereby reducing swelling and delaying fatigue. The means better performance and faster recovery! RecoFit is the only compression gear that cuts their fabric in a cross-grain process for effective compression and no-slip positioning! Check out their products such as Calf Compression Sleeves, Shin-Splint Therapy, Full Leg Compression Sleeves, and Arm Coolers to experience the RecoFit difference for yourself. Proudly made in the USA! To learn about product details and upcoming news, follow them on Twitter at @Recofit.

ENERGIZE your Fitness!

Does workout recovery matter?

Accept your need for recovery as part of your exercise program. Better yet, program it in. Keep your schedule on the calendar just as you do when in your heavy or building training period, just write “off” or “30 minute jog.”

Here are a few ways how to decrease the stress of accepting and respecting your recovery period as an essential part of your training program:

Cross Train. Choose an entirely different mode of exercise all together. Change the angle at which you’re working your muscles. If you routinely do high-impact, try non-impact exercise. If you regularly partake in exercise over 90 minutes, set a recovery limit of fifty-percent of your average weekly workouts. If you’ve been wanting to try a different workout, now is the time to do it when the new workout won’t interfere with your race program.

Rest. That’s right, rest! Do less, do nothing, do whatever whenever the mood strikes you. Resting not only applies to your body, but to your mind as well. This includes psychological and emotional rest. When we are racing or focused on completing a major fitness goal, our mind works just as hard. Get caught up on movies, sort through paperwork, play puzzles with your kids. Sit. Rest. Relax. Many are afraid of rest for fear that they’ll lose all their fitness efforts over night. Rest assured, you won’t. In reality, the contrary is true, you’ll come back to your sport and fitness with more enthusiasm than before. Let yourself miss your activity!

Tend to the details. During your recovery period is a great time to tend to those tiny details that during your heavy training were tolerable, but just barely. For example, that nagging foot discomfort you’ve been tolerating (go see your doctor), or your slightly-off hydration plan (research other alternatives), or those biking shoes that just getting worn out (try out new equipment.) This is like your rainy-day activity list. Tiny details that you just never have time for during your training. Get them sorted out now, so when your recovery period is complete, you’re ready to go.

Catch up. Catch up with other areas of your life that may have been neglected during your heavy training period. Re-introduce yourself to your spouse, to your children, to your boss, to your friends. Go ahead and make that time active if you’d like, but activity is not the priority. Get caught up on your desk work, yard work, and the kid’s homework, anything other than variables that have to do with your race or goal.

Bask in your accomplishment. You’ve worked hard to reach your goal, why not allow time to enjoy it before darting off to begin your next training period. Read articles on your sport, send fellow athletes your race pictures, share your race report in a blog post, chat with other participants, and plot out your next race or fitness goal undertaking; have some fun with your accomplishment! There are ways to stay connected with your sport, your training buddies and current events, without the physical demands required by logging the miles in race prep. So go ahead, hone your verbal, written and artistic skills for a change. Brag a little. You’ll inspire fellow athletes, and yourself.

Does Workout Recovery Matter? By Nicole Bryan

If you suffer from muscle or joint pain, post-exercise fatigue or nagging injuries, there is help. Your answer is simply one click away. Meet Theratape.com!

Theratape is the leading online supplier of kinesiology tape, the colorful tape that can now be seen at virtually every major sporting event, as well as physical therapy clinics, chiropractic offices and training rooms. Since its debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, kinesiology tape has taken both the sports world and the therapy world by storm and is showing no signs of slowing down. This popularity is understandable when you consider that an expenditure of $10-$20 can purchase a product that can provide round-the-clock relief from pain and inflammation for up to 5 days, as well as accelerate the healing process.

Joanne Stapensea, M.Sc., an exercise physiologist and owner of Theratape.com says the benefits of kinesiology taping are many, with the user often experiencing relief and improved function almost immediately. Health and fitness experts agree. Using kinesiology tape can:

Speed Workout Recovery. Whether you work out a few times a week or participate in competitive multi-day athletic events, recovery is key! K-taping increases circulation to those working muscles, which means that more oxygen and nutrients are being delivered and more exercise byproducts like lactic acid are being removed.  The result? Less residual fatigue and muscle soreness and a faster return to peak performance levels.

Decrease Pain. Whether it’s a fresh injury or a chronic muscle or joint ache, kinesiology taping can help relieve the pain. The stretchy tape lifts the skin just enough to reduce pressure on sensitive pain receptors, providing drug-free relief the entire time it is worn.

Keep You Active. Because it provides pain relief and support without restricting range of motion, k-tape can allow people with injuries to continue to train and/or compete as they recover. What could be better than continuing in your sport and healing at the same time?

Correct Muscle Imbalances. Depending on the method of application, kinesiology taping can activate weak/poorly toned muscles or inhibit overactive muscles. This allows it to help correct muscle imbalances and dysfunctional postures that can lead to injuries or performance problems. Better posture means you’re decreasing risk of injury, and working at full functional power!

Wondering how kinesiology tape can do all that? For your own tutorial on how kinesiology tape works click here!

Theratape.com was born in the Spring of 2009. “I first saw Kinesio Tape at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the US beach volleyball gold medalist” explains Joanne Stapensea, Theratape’s owner.  “I started searching for the tape online and had a very difficult time finding it. I realized that if I was having trouble finding it, there were probably thousands of other people in the same boat. That looked to me like a need just waiting to be filled!” she shares. “We now ship worldwide, supplying kinesiology tape to individuals, schools, clinics, hospitals and the military.”

Theratape.com is unique because it is the only source for all of the major kinesiology tape brands, varieties, accessories and educational materials. Among the many choices are:

Single Rolls – approximately 16 feet long, great for first aid kits, sports bags and personal use

Bulk Rolls – over 100 feet of tape, ideal for health professionals and athletic trainers

Precut Strips – varying widths and lengths of strips precut into X, Y, I or fan shapes

Precut Applications and Taping Kits – designed for specific body parts, these are perfect for traveling and on-the-go sporting events

Specialty Tapes – gentle or extra-strong adhesive, wide or narrow widths and more

With prices starting at just $8, you’ll find kinesiology taping is a cost-effective option. With so many choices available, there really is a type of tape for every athlete, every muscle and to support nearly every sport or fitness endeavor. However, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, simply drop Theratape an email via info@theratape.com.

File Theratape.com under extra-cool because they go the extra mile to inspire their customers. In addition to their wide selection of kinesiology tape and supplies, the Theratape Education Center goes one step further to educate health and fitness enthusiasts of the benefits of their products and how to use them correctly. “In the Education Center you can view hundreds of instructional videos and find printable application instructions, all organized by body part” offers Joanne. Especially useful to visitors is their YouTube channel highlighting taping applications for a wide variety of injuries and health conditions. One click and you’ll be a fan as you learn the basics in an easy to follow step-by-step format.

Are you a Health and Fitness Professional? Register in their database to secure your discount here. Order all of your patient supplies in one convenient spot, AND read reviews and reports to stay current on research all relevant to the taping world.

So if you’re looking to recover faster, decrease injuries and improve posture and muscle function, consider giving kinesiology tape from Theratape.com a try. Find all your kinesiology taping supplies and information in one easy to use online location. Join their Twitter and Facebook communities to discover why fellow athletes rave about the benefits of kinesiology tape. Make Theratape.com your kinesiology taping solution!

Your Kinesiology Taping Solution

Founder Susan Walton, explains “we are based in Boulder, Colorado, home to Olympic and professional athletes from just about every sport you can imagine.” She continues, “we ask them to try our prototypes and provide feedback for improving their design.” Rest assured, RecoFit products are designed for athletes by athletes.

One athlete who has provided valuable feedback is Patty Peoples. Patty is the 2012 USAT Sprint Duathlon National Champion, 2011 ITU AG Sprint Duathlon World Champion and 4-Time USAT #1 Ranked AG Duathlete. When asked which of RecoFit’s products are her favorite she says, “I have two – the ArmCoolers and the thigh high sleeves (Full Leg Compression.) The thigh high sleeves I use before and after events, as well as sleeping and travelling for big events and high intensity training. The ArmCoolers I wear primarily in warm weather to help keep me my body temperature cooler.” Patty adds, “the first time I wore the ArmCoolers were at the 2012 USAT Sprint Duathlon National Championships when the temperature was in the 90’s!  I never felt overly heated, which enabled me to push harder and be crowned the Overall Female Sprint Duathlon National Champion!”

What makes RecoFit’s compression gear different? RecoFit is the only compression gear that cuts their fabric in a cross-grain process; this means effective compression and no-slip positioning! Their breathable material disperses body heat and moisture, and has a negative ion charge to help oxygenate blood. As an American-made durable product, RecoFit’s specific manufacturing method allows users the exact amount of compression, exactly where they need it most. Several teams have entrusted RecoFit as their official compression sponsor, including the Garmin-Sharp Pro Cycling Team, currently competing in the Tour de France, as well as the MarkAllenOnline Elite Triathlon Team.

According to Susan, RecoFit’s best-selling product is the Calf Compression Sleeve. Susan shares, “its unique design – it is cut and sewn, not knit like a sock – and its carbon-based technical fabric bring fantastic qualities to the sleeves. These are beneficial for both performance and post-exercise to improve circulation, delay fatigue and reduce vibration and swelling.”

If you’re looking for a product to improve muscle recovery, consider their Full Leg Compression Sleeve. Susan explains the benefits of this particular product, “using the same fabric and patterning of the calf sleeves, these extend the support the full length of the leg, to the top of the hamstring and quadriceps.”

So, where did the RecoFit idea originate? “Growing up with four brothers, I had to be athletic to survive!” Susan says. As a self-proclaimed weekend-warrior with years of competing in 10k’s, duathlons and cycling “it was my tendency to suffer from shin splints that got me on the road to compression.” Susan continues “I wanted a solution to prevent them, not just heal from them. And RecoFit was born!”

RecoFit has found another raving fan in Olympic distance runner and an XTERRA Champion, Roberto Mandje. “It’s tough to pick a favorite product” Robert, who has used their products for about 3 years, says. “I’d say it’s between the full leg compression sleeves, which I live in when resting at home between runs, and the calf sleeves. I use the calf sleeves for training/racing as well as in between run recovery. So in short, my favorite product would depend on the level of soreness” he adds. “I’ve noticed that I recovery faster and feel fresher, especially the following day when I’ve slept overnight in the full leg sleeves. I’m able to bounce back from long and tiring training days thanks to my varied use of RecoFit.”

Follow RecoFit’s latest News feed to read about exciting opportunities to join the RecoFit mission. Join their Facebook and Twitter communities as well to view latest products and blog posts. Join the RecoFit movement and let YOUR results speak for themselves!

Boost Workout Recovery and Fitness Performance with RecoFit