Power Up Your Performance: Enhancing Sports Recovery

by Jennifer Much

Spring is more than just beautiful breezes, sunshine, and blooming flowers. It's a busy time for

sports for both kids and active adults. Whether you play sports in your freetime or are a

weekend warrior heading off to competitions, it's important to keep your muscles healthy to

prevent injuries.

There are many things that individuals can do to ensure they safely recover from rigorous sport

activities. Through stretching, practicing yoga and undergoing recovery and sports massages,

your muscles will stay happy and experience additional benefits, and you stay in the game -

score!

A Good Stretch

Stretching is essential for athletes and is the first thing that comes to mind when we think about

sports and getting ready to play. There are many benefits of stretching, and all are important for

healthy muscles.

● Improvement in Flexibility and Usage: Especially with arms and legs, stretching helps

extend the muscles and can further increase the range of motion. Of course, this

translates to better performance.

● Injury Prevention: Sport participation is an intense workout, but stretching can help

prevent cramps, strains or tears to the muscle as well as injury to joints.

● Improved Circulation: Stretching gets blood flowing to deliver essential nutrients and

oxygen to muscles. This in turn can prevent injury but also help with post-sport recovery.

Believe it or not, it is equally important to stretch after workouts and games. This provides the

opportunity to help muscles to relax and reduce soreness.

Yoga for the Win

When it comes to traditional sports, many associate yoga with being in the workout mix.

However, the number of teams and professional athletes who have begun to turn to yoga has

increased over the past ten years. Many NBA and NFL teams incorporate the practice into

training routines to help with balance, range of motion and better field performance.

Looking at the big picture, yoga can be a gamechanger for amateur and professional athletes

alike - it can help level up performance!

● Better Mobility and Flexibility: Yoga specifically targets tight muscles and joints and can

encourage more free and efficient movement.

● Tones Muscles: Many yoga poses employ strength especially as a stabilizer with the

core and legs. These muscle groups are essential for balance.

● Encourages Better Coordination: Precision is at the forefront with any sport and yoga

helps to train body awareness and coordination. This equates to better athletic control

and agility.

● Stress Reduction and Breathing: Breath control, mindfulness, and meditation are all key

elements with yoga. All work together to help athletes stay cool under pressure and can

add value to every athlete's routine.

Massage Those Muscles

Believe it or not, massage isn't just about relaxation (really!) as it's a powerful tool for athletes -

or anyone - to maintain healthy muscles and joints.

Consistency is critical for the best results and scheduling regular massage sessions will lead to

optimal results. One of the best things about massage therapy is that it can fit into even the

busiest schedule and it doubles as a mental escape plus helps your body recover - that's a

win-win!

● Massage therapy can improve blood flow which promotes the removal of lactic acid and

other metabolic waste.

● By manipulating muscles, sports and recovery massages help break down adhesions in

muscles and adjoining connective tissues.

● For anyone who trains at high intensity, sports massage can help identify areas of

muscle tightness or imbalance that may predispose that area to injury.

Best of all, it's stress-reducing! Mental clarity is essential on the field, in the gym, and in

everyday life. Massage and recovery therapy provides many benefits, but none are better for

the body, mind and soul!

Ready, Set, Book!

Whether you're preparing for a match or want to keep your body healthy on the court, join us in

the studio or book a massage!

Roots Yoga and Healing is committed to the wellbeing of your body, mind and soul - and we've

got exciting news to share, too! Jamie has partnered with another Massage Therapist, Brian,

who provides massage therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the studio!

Book a session online at www.rootsyogamindbody.com. Don't forget, train hard, but recover

harder; we can help and your body will thank you. See you soon, all star!