Allow Your Body to Recover Like a Professional Athlete

Look no further than NBA or WNBA games and you’ll see athletes using various tools on the sidelines trying to help their bodies recover. Following NFL games, football players are known for taking ice baths, getting massages, hitting the pool and rolling out to aid recovery. Of course, all the critical recovery work begins in the locker room following a game.

Professional teams invest a ton of money on strength & conditioning coaches, nutritionist, massage therapist, yoga gurus, you name it. I have known more than one person who works with professional athletes doing massage. All to help improve performance, yes, but also to help athletes recover from the cumulative stress of practices and games.

Allow your body to recover like a professional athlete. You may not be able to have a cryotherapy chamber in your home like Lebron James does. But you can use the following recovery products regularly, just like he and other athletes do.

Rolling Tools: Foam Roller, Tennis/Lacrosse Balls, T-Pin Vector

There is a great deal of research showing positive outcomes when someone uses a foam roller as a recovery tool. These types of products work on releasing tight, restrictive fascia and muscle. Fascia, along with tendons and ligaments, are what make up the bodies connective tissue. Muscles that are tight are not only an accident waiting to happen, they also impede performance. A tight athlete does not see the field as much as the bench, because they’re usually dealing with injuries.

All of these recovery “tools” mentioned are not very expensive and do a great job helping the body recover. In the long run, you end up getting a lot of bang for your buck with each of these products.

Foam Roller

Foam rollers have been gaining popularity since hitting the mainstream years back thanks to physical therapists. Make a habit of committing time rolling out all your major muscle groups every time you workout. Start by rolling your calf muscles before moving up to the hamstrings, glutes and back. Then flip over and roll the lower leg, quadriceps and chest. Spend about 2-3 minutes rolling out each of these muscle groups at a rate one inch per second. When you come across a tight area, stop rolling and just stay on it, allowing the pressure from your bodyweight and foam roller to knead into the fascia.

Use Tennis, Lacrosse, Golf Balls to Recover

You probably already have a few of these items lying around the house. Grab one of these balls and just sit on it. Try rolling out your tight glutes, eventually transitioning to your side targeting your glute medius. Magic! Right? Next, place two tennis balls in a sock and make sure both balls are tight together. This becomes an instant deep tissue massage product. It works great when you lie on the balls – known as a “peanut” – and rollout your cervical, thoracic and lumbar areas. Let the balls push into or knead your paraspinal muscles (also known as your erector spinae). Rollout about an inch/second, traveling from your cervical down to your lumbar spine area. As you hit a tight area (“trigger point”), stop, breath and relax into it, and hang out there for a few minutes before proceeding. You may need to commit more time initially using these tools in order to bring back your body to its original “healthy” state.

T-Pin Vector

This is a favorite product for a lot of people. The T-Pin Vector might not be very big (pictured above on the right) but it is ideal for getting into small, tight areas on your body. This product also works amazingly well when targeting the neck and feet, say bye-bye to plantar fasciitis.

Recovery Tools: Massage Guns, Heating Pads, Compression Sleeves

Massage Guns

Massage guns are one of the hottest recovery tools on the market today. I have personally tried a few, like Theragun and Hyperice (pictured above left). To get the most benefit, use them as part of your dynamic warm-up prior to a workout as well as post workout to help promote recover. Hyperice also has a great app associated with their products that include informational tutorials from industry experts like Kelly Starret, DPT.

Heating Pads & Wraps

Heating pads can used to promote blood flow to help release tight, stiff areas of the body. Some companies like, Hyperice, have even combined heat with vibration technology found in their line of Venom products (above right photo).

Compression Sleeves

You have seen runners, basketball players and others wear compression sleeves on either their arm and/or leg. A leg compression sleeve basically uses graduated pressure to aid in easing discomfort and pain. They are an effective treatment for restless leg syndrome, shin splints, leg cramps, plantar fasciitis, among other conditions.

Many different companies have now gotten into the game following the same premise but offering more high tech. Some products like Hyperice Normatec (pictured above middle) is bluetooth connected, offers seven different intensity levels, and you can customize the areas of the body part regarding time and pressure.

We have introduced just a few products that can help your body recover that are popular in the fitness industry today. There are many other traditional and high tech products that are also available depending on your budget. For those looking to keep it simple, though, you can stick to cryotherapy (ice bucket, ice packs or ice baths post workout). In addition, use a foam roller often as a preventative measure and don’t forget about a really beneficial, old school treatment. It is typically for your feet but also great for the entire body, an Epsom salt soak mixed in warm water. This product is inexpensive, works wonders after a long run, after a tough workout or when you’re on your feet all day.

Try the Award-Winning Jefit App

Try Jefit app, named best app for 2020 and 2021 by PC Magazine, Men’s Health, The Manual and the Greatist. The app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and features to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit as you live your sustainable fitness lifestyle.

Everything You Need to Know about Plantar Fasciitis

Foot pain, especially plantar fasciitis, can be a difficult condition to deal with if not treated correctly. It can prevent people from doing simple tasks such as walking or getting around. Worse, sometimes you cannot even be sure where exactly the pain is coming from. Or, what is causing it, especially if you do not recall going through a painful injury. This happened to me recently. One day I was running and a day or two later, I was having trouble putting weight on my right foot.

Another important issue with foot pain that many do not realize is it can affect your posture and gait. The longer any foot injury persists, the greater the likelihood that you’ll have issues some where else, like your back.

Among the many causes of foot pain, plantar fasciitis is one of the most common. Plantar fasciitis refers to the inflammation of the plantar fascia. This includes the long ligament that joins the heel at the back of your foot with your toes.

Plantar fascia is also responsible for supporting the arch of your foot, this enables the foot to support your bodyweight. Hence, any problems with this area of your foot could impact the ability of your foot to do its job.

Here is everything you need to know about plantar fasciitis.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

Similar to other joints and muscles, the purpose of plantar fascia is to support the foot muscles and absorb stress. Hence, if the stress becomes too much, the plantar fascia will start to develop small tears. This, in turn, can lead to inflammation as a result of the body’s natural response to such injuries, thereby resulting in the development of plantar fasciitis. Although plantar fasciitis usually occurs for no specific reason, some factors can increase the risk of developing plantar fasciitis.

These include having high foot arches, wearing high heels frequently, and spending long hours each day standing. Athletes are also at higher risk of plantar fasciitis due to the repetitive, high-impact motions that come with running or jumping.

How Can It Be Diagnosed?

The symptom of plantar fasciitis that is easiest to observe is a sharp pain in the heel of the foot, particularly when you take your first steps after having been lying down or seated for a prolonged period of time. If this happens to you quite regularly, it is best to see a specialist right away.

When you make an appointment, the doctor will immediately ask you about your symptoms and perform a checkup to determine where the pain in your feet is coming from. To be sure of the cause, you may then have to undergo different tests.

These include an X-ray, MRI or other imaging tests to rule out other possible causes, such as arthritis or fractures.

How Can It Be Treated?

Treatment of plantar fasciitis is actually quite simple and does not require surgery. Typically, a doctor will prescribe that you ice the area and avoid any activities that might increase the pain, such as sports and exercise. The doctor may also prescribe you some anti-inflammatory medications to reduce inflammation and resulting pain.

Eventually, you may be advised to practice some physical therapy exercises and stretches to strengthen your leg and foot muscles to prevent another occurrence of plantar fasciitis. You may also be asked to wear more supportive shoes or to use sole inserts for better cushioning as you walk and run. Finally, get in the habit of using a foam roller targeting the lower body especially the calf area. Tight muscles and restricted fascia, if not addressed, can eventually lead to foot issues.

With proper lifestyle habits and medical advice, you should be able to fully recover from plantar fasciitis and prevent it from ever recurring. If you feel any symptoms, it is best to seek a professional’s opinion straight away for the quickest relief and recovery.

Try the Jefit App

The award-winning Jefit app comes equipped with a customizable workout planner, training log, the ability to track data and share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s huge exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule. Stay strong with Jefit.