Have you ever worked out so hard, that the next day you feel like Frankenstein? You know, stiff everywhere. All day you are walking around like the living dead. Climbing stairs without bending your knees, falling in to chairs instead of sitting and turning your whole body instead of just your neck, just to look at someone talking beside you.

That's a sign of a tough workout indeed! Now before you sit still until you start feeling human again, consider active recovery.

Active recovery (AR) is traditionally used to taper off of a hard workout. Otherwise known as a cool down. This could be a walk after a run or a couple extra light laps after a heavy duty swim.

It's also the idea that, instead of healing by doing nothing you get better from moving around and engaging in light activity within the following days of a hard workout. AR can be used for sore muscles or recovering from an injury, surgery or pregnancy.

Benefits of Active Recovery

-AR right after a workout reduces muscle lactate faster than passive recovery, which is doing nothing at all. Muscle lactate or lactic acid is the build up that makes you sore the next day!

-Active recovery has been proven to improve an athlete's psychological well-being after a competition.

-Improves relaxation

-Helps to speed up recovery time by increasing circulation in the bloodstream, which removes lactic acid in the muscle.

-AR keeps you going. It's always good to stay on a roll. Especially if you are just starting out.

Always use active recovery after a workout as a cool down and definitely try it in between tough workouts. Some suggestions would be walking, light swimming and short distance cycling.

Stay Active By Recovering Actively!