Photo credit: Hyperice
This year, personal trainers and pro athletes are all talking about one thing: workout recovery. So much so that it’s become a priority for amateurs, who want to learn from the pros. Proper recovery techniques range from staying hydrated, getting seven hours of sleep each night and eating well, to massage therapy guns, cryotherapy treatments, CBD balms.
Heptathlete Chari Hawkins won the 2019 Bronze Medal at USA National Championship and is currently training for the summer 2021 Olympics. A native of Idaho, when Hawkins ran her last college track meet, she knew that she wasn’t ready for her heptathlon career to end.
So she moved to Santa Barbara, California, working as a nanny and babysitter, in order to have a flexible schedule so that she could train. Hawkins became a member of Team USA, and quickly picked up sponsorships, which meant that she could leave babysitting behind.
Overcoming obstacles is what athletes do, and Hawkins is currently “on track” to fulfill her dream. Here are the workout recovery tips she shared with us!
- Stretching Stretching morning and night has brought down my injury rate substantially, it really is a game-changer. This includes static movements as well as dynamic avenues like using the Hypervolt or Vyper 2.0.
- Drinking water No matter what I’m doing, when I’m dehydrated, I feel slow, sad and tired. Making sure that I’m getting my water intake allows my body to be fully ready to take on my day and training ahead.
- Sleep Sleep seems like a no-brainer, I think we put it on the back burner of priorities, but it MUST be important if the name of the game is recovery. Sleep is when our body and brain recovers most!
- Contrast Therapy Hot and cold therapy is one of my favorites, both in process and in recovery. The contrast really does make your body feel so recovered, and I have had things I thought were serious injuries be healed in one day after a nice contrast therapy session.