PASSIVE VS. ACTIVE RECOVERY: WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE?

Feeling sore? If so, you might not feel like moving, but in general that’s not the best thing. Passive recovery means stillness and inactivity. By contrast, active recovery means being active in a way that promotes recovery rather than intensity. But which type of recovery is better?

To effectively answer that question, let’s first examine soreness in a user-friendly way. In general, there are two types:

That general sense of heaviness or tiredness in muscles that let you know you did something challenging but this feeling is not painful, and does not limit your movements.

An intense soreness and discomfort during movement that almost makes you regret exercising in the first place. This type of soreness is a sign of severe damage.

Many people—especially people who love intense exercise—mistakenly keep chasing soreness #2, but the soreness described in #1 is the sweet spot of exercise intensity. You can tell you did something valuable, but you still feel good while your body recovers.

One more time, just so we are clear: Soreness #2 = bad. Soreness #1 = good.

NOW FOR RECOVERY.

The day after some spirited sport play or a tough workout, you may rise feeling sluggish and is if your limbs are made of concrete. This is never a good feeling. But you’ll notice that after you’ve been up and moving for a few minutes, you’re feeling a bit better. You may not feel like moving much, but it’s likely a good idea.

Passive recovery involves doing almost nothing and is only warranted in the case of certain types of injury.

Active recovery, however, can include any of the following:

Massage – either self-massage or professional

Mobility exercises – moving through a full range of motion, but avoiding long holds as in stretching

General light physical activity – something in between passive rest and a workout

Whether by the skilled hands of a professional or from using the many terrific tools and methods for self-massage on your own, massage can enhance recovery by increasing circulation. Our bodies are like large skin bags full of water. When we compress a part of the body, we squeeze out “old” fluid that carries the waste products of muscle breakdown. When we release that pressure, fresh blood comes in to deliver the nutrients and warmth to help with repair and rebuilding.

Mobility exercises use the full range of motion around a joint to pump more blood through the muscle. This allows you to enhance blood flow to all the muscles surrounding a joint without overloading any of the muscles because most mobility exercises are simply unloaded or performed using minimal body weight.

The most important type of active recovery is general light physical activity. Because there is a wide range of abilities and current fitness levels among people, defining “light” in clear terms is difficult, but you can think of it as any physical activity that increases circulation without introducing muscular challenge.

For example, take a walk, toss a ball around, go for a light bike ride, kick a ball around, fly a kite—whatever enhances blood flow without bringing a big challenge to the muscles will fulfill the requirements of this type of physical activity.

Side note: Ice baths or contrast water therapy (alternating between cold and warm water) are sometimes employed as a recovery strategy. The research is mixed on the benefits of these strategies, with some studies finding them to help and others finding them to increase soreness perceptions following strenuous exercise. I don’t typically recommend people try these, but if you have tried them and found they work for you, then carry on.

Muscles and joints love circulation. And they really love it when they need more of it. And they need more of it when they are recovering from a challenging workout.

The next time you’re feeling crushed after a hard workout, remember that difference in feeling you get when you awake stiff and then feel better after getting up and moving for a couple of minutes. That simple and common reminder is all you will need to know that a little moving brings the blood and the circulation is what you’re really after—not the soreness.

Source : Jonathan Ross Health and Fitness Expert| ACE

Keep It Moving, Even in Pain

Joint ache or discomfort? Try RICE.

We rely heavily on our knees and hips for mobility. All our movements, be it standing or dancing depend on these two largest joints of our body, the hips and knee. No wonder these joints are easy strained with a lifetime of carrying body weight and co-ordinating movement. Therefore, it is no shocker that practically everyone complains of hip and knee pain. As you age, these joint endeavour much more pressure causing severe discomfort and constraining routine movement. If left unchecked, these could also lead to permanent damage to the joints and curb mobility.

For this reason it is highly essential that one takes good care of their hip and knee joint to avoid future inconveniences. There are many ways with which one can take care of minor injuries. RICE is an easy self-help measure to aid in easing the pain and discomfort of any joint. This is an excellent first aid for any type of joint injury. RICE stands for:

Rest. It is advised to limit vigorous activities that could severely damage the injured area. Avoid activities that could add pressure to the injured joint.

• Ice. An ice pack made at home or purchased from the stores can be used to apply on the injured area. This helps in reducing the pain and swelling. Keep the ice pack for 20 minutes on the injured portion with a 20 minutes interval in between. A layer of cloth is to be used on the skin before placing the ice pack to avoid frostbite.


• Compression. To reduce swelling an elastic bandage or neoprene support is to be used. This will also help in speeding up the recovery process. Be careful to not wrap it too tight as it could hamper with the normal flow of blood.


• Elevation. It is always best to elevate the injured leg using a pillow or a stool. This will avoid pooling of blood in the injured area and also reduce swelling.

If you are suffering from prolonged pain and long term stiffness you can opt for Heat therapy. Ice is considered best during the initial days of the injury to lessen the swelling and enable prior flexibility. However, if the pain persists, you can also try heat therapy. You can use heating pad or hot towel to supply heat to the injured joint. Make sure that the heat is not too much to cause blisters or burns on the body. The heating pad or towel should only be warm and not hot.

It is also medically advised that you continue your daily routine movement even if you are dealing with arthritis pain or any ache from overuse injury. One can also follow these joint-friendly options listed below to maintain an active lifestyle:

• elliptical trainer


• stationary bike (recumbent or upright)


• tai chi , soft yoga


• swimming, water aerobics, or water walking


• rowing machine


• Short walks throughout the day, instead of a long walk.

Unfortunately, if the pain is still prominent even after trying all these above mentioned methods, one might have to opt for surgery. If the damage to the joint is acute and prolonged, your consulting physician would advise you for a partial or total joint replacement. These surgeries could be risky as well as costly in the western countries and therefore many patients consider medical treatment abroad.

Source Paula F

How to Prepare for Exercise After an Injury

Injuries occur at any time and for any reason. If you get injured, you may not know how to proceed and prepare for exercise post-injury. This mind-and-body guide can help prepare you for a brighter, injury-free future in fitness and performance. 

Seek Medical Care

Pain, swelling, discoloration of the skin and chronic discomfort is your body’s way of letting you know that something is not right. Acute pain, if left untreated, eventually leads to chronic pain, which usually requires longer recovery and treatment methods. 

The first step to overcoming an injury is to seek medical care. Follow your healthcare professional’s recovery and rehabilitation protocols to ensure that your body heals appropriately. Pushing beyond protocols and avoiding corrective care prolongs recovery, so take care of the injury before planning your first post-injury run, hike or workout. 

Overcome Mental Battles

One of the hardest things to overcome when injured is the mental battle caused from a lack of movement and progress. If you’re someone who thrives with regular exercise, you may find yourself disconnecting emotionally when forced to be sedentary. Also, you may be concerned about losing some of the fitness you’ve worked so hard to achieve.    

It is important to accept the present moment. When injured, it is easy to let the mind spiral with negative thoughts, and extreme sadness can hinder the body from healing.  All of this can lead to depression or despair, so it’s important to remind yourself that your body will once again reach its potential. 

Question Yourself

Work to overcome mental battles by answering these questions, which will increase awareness of the injury and prepare you better for the future.

How did I get here?

This question can help you realize why or how you became injured. Reasons vary from overtraining, not wearing the appropriate footwear, pushing limits or not paying attention. If unsure, take note of what could be improved for the future. 

How do I get out of here?

Once you define how the injury occurred, you can better plan for the future. Talk to your healthcare professional about appropriate rehabilitation progressions. Ask the provider to specify if the injury is an imbalance or genetic issue. For example, plantar fasciitis is most often caused by overuse, whereas a bunion (bony growth) develops in early ages and is labeled as genetic. 

Ask your provider whether the injury is correctable with rehab, or if exercise alterations are required to avoid future problems. 

Is the injury a blessing in disguise?

Ask yourself, “Is there a silver lining to the injury?” Sometimes the most positive situations arise out from a negative event. For example, an injured marathon trainee may be forced to correct his or her running gait during rehabilitation. Because of the improvement, the runner improves performance and spares his or her body from running hundreds of training miles with incorrect form, which could have led to a more severe injury. 

What seems like a setback may actually be for your benefit. 

How do I stay positive?

The first step to staying positive is to remember that your injury is temporary. Next, use positive-thinking tools, such as motivational quotes or positive-reinforcement meditations, to maintain a positive outlook. Regardless of which tool is your preference, do your best to think positively and avoid falling into the trap of doomsday thinking. 

Also, talk about your injury as if it is temporary. Use sentences such as, “I will run again,” rather than, “I hope to run again.” Saying, “I will” trains the brain to know what it wants and focuses on the specific goal. “I will” clearly defines what you want and sets the tone for your future. This determination keeps the mind focused and clear of distractions.      

The Importance of Cross Training

Cross training allows the body to exercise while moving in various planes of motion. This reduces repetitive motions and impact from performing the same exercise repeatedly. Post-recovery, it is important not to overstress the healed area, which is still susceptible to reinjury. Take the load and stress off the body with cross training. For example, a weightlifter can benefit from alternative resistance training such as yoga or Pilates, while a runner can benefit from low-impact cardio exercise such as aqua jogging, swimming or cycling. 

Source Elizabeth Kovar M.A, personal trainer and yoga/fitness instructor