So you just did a half-marathon, or you’re back from your daily run. Or maybe you’re a workout nut, or a fighter, or maybe you do it all. Point is, you’re feeling it. There are a number of proven ways to recover from a workout or athletics, but these five keys will always be the fundamentals of your recovery techniques.

1. Regulate your sleep. Not more, and certainly not less; regulating your sleep is one of the best ways to speed your recovery post workout. Following a regular schedule of sleeping will greatly increase your ability to function after working out. Luckily, studies demonstrate that there’s a reciprocal relationship between sleep and exercise: exercising helps you sleep, and sleeping helps you recover.
   Your best bet for getting it all at once, though, is Cryotherapy, a cutting edge treatment that can increase your metabolism with intense cold, enabling you to build muscle faster and regulate your energy — and thus your sleep.
2. Get a massage. For some people, massages are a luxury. But for regular athletes, they’re practically necessary. Not only will you walk out feeling great, but Eastern modalities of massage, such as shiatsu, can work preventatively to ease stress caused by repeated movements. Think of it as pressing the reset button on your body — if you don’t do it enough, your injuries can create more problems.

   Lymphatic Drainage massages are also excellent tools for athletes. During an intense workout, lactic acid builds up in your muscles — that’s the burn you feel. A Lymphatic Drainage massage helps get rid of that build up and deals with post-workout inflammation. All that’s not to mention the immune system boost, which can decrease fatigue significantly.

3. Developing a diverse taste in music. Sounds crazy? It’s not. You might like your punk while you workout (and that’s fine, it’s great), but a resting heart rate is around 60-100 BPM — beats per minute. Listening to ambient music or, as above, some sub-genres of jazz — or whatever you like — will slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and make your recovery that much faster. Your heart reacts to the music’s BPM and tries to match it. It’s why rock pumps you up and reggae cools you down.
4. Whole-Body Cryotherapy (duh). While Cryotherapy was initially founded with the intent of healing chronic pain like arthritis and osteoarthritis, shortly after its inception, prominent athletes began to use cryotherapy to recover from workouts and increase their performance. Celebrity-athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt, LaBron James, and Floyd Mayweather routinely use cryotherapy. Even entire sports teams like the Dallas Mavericks have committed to cryo as their ‘secret weapon.’ Three of our local major league teams, The Eagles, The Phillies, and The 76ers, all use cryo to boost recovery and performance. News anchors like it too.

   Cryotherapy is key to alleviating and preventing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) by decreasing inflammation and increasing circulation. So get yourself to the Bucks County Cryo Spa and get frozen!

5. Foam rolling. This one is pretty easy. All you have to do is buy a foam roller and use it. These neat things can easily work out the knots in your muscles with little effort.

   Luckily, we’ve done extensive research for you, and TPTherapy.com offers the highest quality product, as well as the most versatile. Their rollers can provide three different pressures: light (that’s the flat part), medium (those long lines, which emulate a massage practitioner’s fingers), and heavy (the squares, which emulate a massage practitioner’s thumbs). There’s no denying their effectiveness. Pick one up after cryotherapy at the Cryo Spa!