One of the great things about being an active outdoor lover that takes care of their body and recovery in Colorado is that there are so many options. We have the ability to run on roads and run on trails. You can ride a road bike or mountain bike. You can ski, snowboard, head to the backcountry, do cross country skiing near Colorado Springs. There’s fishing, rock climbing, whitewater sports, backpacking…just limitless supplies of options outside. I’m not even scratching the surface with this list.
Then maybe you also like going to the gym a few times a week to lift weights near Colorado Springs. You’re into jiu jitsu and basketball and pickleball as well. How in the world do you fit all of that into a busy schedule? That’s where the great thing about living in a place like this creates a problem that can lead to diminishing returns (and eventually injury).
If you are trying to fit too many things into your schedule, there’s a chance you end up doing too much. Say you’re trying to go to the gym 4 times per week, you want to trail run 2 times per week, then on the weekends you want to fit in a bunch of rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking in Colorado Springs. You have a stacked week! This is awesome! It can also be risky.
How Do You Create Balance For Your Recovery?
Cramming so much activity into the week does not give your body time to recover. We need days where our loads are lighter so our muscles can recover and our body has time to heal from our last adventure. When we keep pushing, we keep moving ourselves toward the limits of what our body can handle. When we move past that limit, it manifests itself in many different ways. The first signs may be lower energy levels.
Our muscles and our body in general are just tired from the constant demand. Then the overuse injuries start to move their way into the conversation. Things like tendinitis, bone stress injuries, muscle pain/pulls, and other assorted aches begin to happen. That’s where physical therapists in Colorado Springs can help you plan out what your body can handle, or we can help you get back on track if you go over the top.
Again, our body needs that time to rest. If we are going to push our limits on how much we can do each week, plan on your time for recovery. Get plenty of sleep. That’s the first step. 6-7 hours at a minimum is a great start, but a little more than that would be even better. Eat right. Fuel your body in a way that gives you good clean energy.
Avoid binging on sweets, fast food, alcohol, and similar things. Build in rest periods where maybe you are exerting at a lower level with lighter weights at the gym, focus on mobility work, or simply going for easy walks around your local path near Colorado Springs. These things all will help keep us from pushing beyond our body’s capabilities.
Working toward pain relief in active individuals in Colorado Springs.
Types of Recovery
The above listed items are what should be the foundation of your recovery: sleep, nutrition, and active rest periods. That being said, we have all heard plenty about other types of recovery tools and methods. These include massage guns, red light therapy, cryotherapy, cold plunges, saunas…the list goes on and on. Recovery is a hot topic these days. Colorado Springs has many places where you can access all of these types of recovery.
We even like to partner with some of them and recommend them to our patients. These other tools can be great when used in the correct way. However, if you don't have the foundation set with sleep, nutrition, and rest periods, the other stuff won’t help you. Build off of your natural recovery methods first! With physical therapy near Colorado Springs we can help you build off these methods as well.
Our bodies are malleable in a lot of ways, so over time, our ability to accept higher levels of demand will increase. That’s what keeps you being able to push heavier weight in the gym, run more miles, and climb higher grades of rock climbing routes near Colorado Springs. The idea that our body needs time to rest never changes though. No matter what your fitness level, you need to figure out how and when to give your body time to rest.
Final Thoughts
As performance minded physical therapists in Colorado Springs, this recommendation of rest and recovery is an obstacle we face consistently. Many of our patients end up in our office because they have pushed and pushed without taking the time to care for themselves. Let us help you figure out what your body is capable of doing and determine the right dosage of rest that your body needs to keep going. You’ll feel stronger, more energized, and less injury prone when you have this dialed in the way it needs to be.
We proudly serve active individuals in Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Briargate, Falcon, Rockrimmon, and surrounding areas.
📞 Call us today or 📧 book your evaluation to get started with Physical Therapy near Colorado Springs: (719) 285-9670
