5 Healthy Ways to Rejuvenate After a Match

Boxing is no joke — no matter what your sport is, you give your all for every match. The experience is worth the hard work, but it’s important to let yourself recover after intense performances. If you’re not sure how to rest and rejuvenate your body after a match, here are five great recovery methods to try.

Always Warm Down

The importance of warming up is constantly stressed, but warming down is equally as important. Both warm-ups and warm-downs provide similar benefits to the body: they allow your muscles to stretch and oxygenate, which alleviates strain and can help prevent serious injuries. As soon as the match is over, take some time to jog or walk and allow your cardiovascular system to regain equilibrium. Once you have, some deep stretching or even light yoga can help relieve tension all over the body and relax tight, overworked muscles.

Use Revitalizing Supplements

Depending on your sport, your body may be burning through different resources to keep you going during a match. No matter your game, consider adding vitamin and mineral supplements to your post game regimen to resupply your body with those critical resources. If you’re not sure what type of supplements would be best for you, make sure you consult with your doctor first. Multivitamins and Thrive side effects might be different from person to person, so it’s important that you thoroughly understand what your body needs.

Use Hot and Cold Treatments

Heated and cold treatments can both work wonders on the body, so take full advantage of these methods for your post match recovery plan. Hot treatments like heating pads, hot baths and saunas are great for soothing strained muscles, relaxing the body and improving blood pressure; cold treatments are ideal for conditioning and reducing swelling in painful, inflamed muscles and joints. You may want to focus on one particular recovery method each day, or you may opt to use both after a match. Either way, you’re likely to do your body some good with hot and cold treatments. Before using either, make sure your temperatures are just right — too hot of a treatment can cause severe burns, while prolonged or especially cold treatments may cause shock or hypothermia.

Eat a Nourishing Meal

During a match, you’re burning through most of the calories, fats, carbohydrates and protein you’ve consumed throughout the day. Your body needs all of these essential nutrients to function, so it’s important to replenish your body’s nutrient stores after an intense game. Try to eat a healthy, well-balanced meal after every match; incorporate colorful fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains wherever possible. The sooner you nourish your body after all your hard work, the sooner it can begin to repair itself. If you don’t have much of an appetite after the match, consider a quick, nourishing smoothie as a meal replacement. Above all, be sure to adequately rehydrate with a bottle of water after every match.

Follow Up With a Recovery Workout

The day after a match, you may not feel like doing much of anything. Unfortunately, this is a crucial time period for your body, so it’s a good idea to follow up with a recovery workout. Like warm-ups, warm-downs and temperature treatments, recovery workouts are ideal for reducing bodily strain, stretching cramped muscles, supporting healthy blood flow and avoiding injury after a match. Recovery workouts shouldn’t be as intense as physical training or conditioning. Instead of an intense workout, consider some light cardio, pilates or yoga. Swimming is an ideal recovery workout, as it allows you to stretch your core muscles without much strain.

As an athlete, taking care of your body is vital to your performance. Whether you’re a renowned professional or simply exercising for enjoyment, make sure you give your body the time and nourishment it needs to recover after massive exertion. The better you care for your body now, the more your training will pay off in the next big match.

Mikkie Mills

Mikkie is a freelance writer from Chicago. She is also a mother of two who loves sharing her ideas on interior design, budgeting hacks, and DIY. When she’s not writing, she’s chasing the little ones or rock climbing at the local climbing gym.