Your ability to maintain an athletic, adventurous lifestyle depends upon how well you recover from an athletic event. The recovery process gains even more importance after an extreme sports event, which may involve jumping, endurance or high-altitude activity. Recovery measures revitalize your body and heal any post-event damage. Nutrition, hydration, rest and muscle relaxation play a key role in the extreme sport recovery process. The intensity of the athletic event dictates the length of the recovery period, the types of food and hydration you require, and the type of post-event stretching exercises you need to perform.
Step 1
Drink at least one cup of water. Weigh yourself as soon as possible. Weight loss is a sign of dehydration. Drink two cups of water for every pound lost, says professor J. Anderson, et al. of the Colorado State University Extension Program. Drink sports drinks for electrolyte replenishment after longer events.
Step 2
Eat a meal comprised of protein and carbohydrates within 30 minutes after the event ends. Protein helps repair muscle damage, and carbohydrates replenish your glycogen stores.
Step 3
Examine your body for any inflammation. Elevate swollen limbs and use an ice pack for 20-minute intervals, three times a day, until the swelling subsides.
Step 4
Roll on a foam roller to release muscular tension. Lie face down on the roller for front of thigh muscle soreness, and on your side for hip and outer thigh tension. Find the tightest point in the muscle, and gently roll back and forth. Continue for one minute.
Step 5
Stretch tight muscle groups. To stretch your hamstrings, lie face up with your legs extended. Raise one leg and gently pull it toward you. To stretch your quadriceps, lie face down, bend one knee, and gently pull your heel in toward your buttocks. Place both hands on a table, step away and flatten your back to stretch your shoulders and upper back.
Step 6
Get a good night's sleep. Sleep hastens muscle restoration and repair.
Tips and Warnings
- Chocolate milk provides carbohydrates and protein, and is a sport recovery aid, reports the "International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism." Sleep promotes recovery, but high altitudes impedes sleeping ability, advises Altitude.org. If you live at sea level but participate in a high-altitude event, descending to a lower altitude after the event helps you sleep better. The American Headache Society suggests that sleeping at an altitude lower than the one at which you usually play prevents the headaches associated with high altitude events. Sports massage therapy, if you can afford it, helps restore your muscles after an extreme sport event.
- Consult your doctor if long-term swelling, pain, nausea or digestive problems prevail for longer than two days after the extreme sports event. Check with your doctor before taking any type of recovery supplements. Avoid intense workouts for at least three days after the extreme sports event.
Things You'll Need
- Water
- Sports drinks
- Food
- Pillow
- Ice
- Foam roller
References
- Colorado State University Extension; Nutrition for the Athlete; J. Anderson, L. Young and S. Prior; December 2010
- 'US News"; How Much Should You Worry About Post-Workout Eating?;Katherine Hobson; July 2008
- "International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism"; Chocolate Milk as a Post-Exercise Recovery Aid; Jason R. Karp, et al.; 2006
- "Daily Mail"; What Happens to Your Body While You're Asleep?"; Angela Epstein, June 2011
- Altitude.org: Sleep at High Altitude
- Amercian Headache Society; Altitude, Acute Mountain Sickness and Headache; David W. Dodick, MD
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