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Getting older is inescapable, but staying active can make you look and feel younger. Exercise slows down the aging process by keeping your bones and muscles strong, as well as maintaining your heart and lungs healthy. But just because you’re old doesn’t mean not taking your recovery after a workout as seriously as you should when you’re younger. Always remember that whatever your goal is with exercise, it’s through the recovery period that it is actually achieved.
Older people tend to recover more slowly after intense physical training because their muscles experience greater exercise-induced muscle fatigue or damage but with a slower rate of repair and recovery. These may be related to physiological changes and age-specific impairment, specifically slower protein synthesis— the process of muscle regeneration. So, it means that older adults may need to pay more attention to proper recovery than their younger counterparts.
While warm-up is vital in anyone’s exercise program, it’s especially more important for older adults who may be less active. To reap the benefits of exercise, older adults should follow a routine that gently prepares their bodies for a more intense activity. Warming up helps in driving blood to the muscles and joints, making them more flexible and away from injuries. A proper warm-up also increases heart and breathing rates, enhancing endurance capabilities. Regardless of the fitness level, it is essential to begin gradually to safely build up the level of your warm-ups over time. Seniors should consider dynamic movements, such as walking, air squats, and arm circles, which are more advised for warm-ups. (ADD IN FUTURE STUDIES)
Just as with your warmups, cooling down should also be slow and gradual rather than coming to an abrupt or complete stop. Cooldown allows your body time to recover, bringing your heart rate and respiration down gradually. For example, if you’re just done running, you may continue to walk at a slow pace to bring your system back down into what it’s normally. After a workout, your muscles are still warm, more flexible, and easily respond to stretching. Stretch the muscles, especially those that you worked on during exercise, and hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds.
Just as you schedule your exercise, you should also make an effort to plan your recovery time, and there’s no better way than active recovery. Taking some days off allows you to continuously participate in regular workouts and avoid risking yourself injury from the cumulative fatigue that you get from overdoing it and not leaving time to recover and rest. Going for a brisk walk or a slow bike ride are examples of active rest. The exact amount of rest and recovery time depends on your fitness levels and the type of exercise you’re engaged with, but it should be more because your muscles take longer to recover. Also, try to pick a recovery strategy that you feel is restful but is still enjoyable and active.
Older adults are at greater risk for dehydration because their sense of thirst most often diminishes with age. Dehydration is known to be associated with impaired exercise performance and may reduce the brain-function benefits of exercise. According to research, older people who drink more water following exercise gain more cognitive health benefits. Also, older adults should get enough protein in their diet to compensate for the reduced protein synthesis. Generally, adults are advised to have a protein intake of about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. However, the American Journal of Physiology sees that higher amounts are needed for older adults. A study demonstrated that older adults of 52 to 75 years old who consumed 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight had more muscle, built and maintained, compared with those who consumed only the recommended amount. That extra muscle can keep you moving and counters the occurrence of sarcopenia—the age-related loss of muscle mass.
If you’re an older adult who is not fond of having an extra “recovery” routine, then Recovapro might be the perfect solution for you. You may only want to limit yourself from exercising a few days a week and focus on just resting afterward, and not minding recovery at all. But that isn’t what recovery and “getting all the exercise benefits” are all about. Remember, as you get older, recovery time becomes more critical and that includes your recovery. You want training results fast because you need all the benefits that you could get from exercise every day! That’s why Recovapro is here. It can be an active recovery tool that you can use days following workouts to expedite all the necessary physiological processes for you to experience physical improvement. And what’s amazing about it is that it won’t take much time of your resting period as it only takes a few strokes to your sore muscles and you’re good to go! You can spend the rest of your time with the family and have all the resting that you want!
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