Acing it With Active Recovery: Your Guide to Active Rest Day Workouts

High five, friend! You’re looking for new tips to work out the right way, and we’re here to cheer you on. Active recovery is all about balancing intense workouts with gentle movement, to give your body a chance to recover.

Read on to learn how to build active recovery days into your routine and feel your very best.

What is Active Recovery?

Active recovery workouts are low intensity. If you compare your regular gym session to a mountain hike, an active recovery workout would be a summer stroll. It’s movement that keeps your muscles flexible and warm, so you can push even harder during your day-to-day workouts. Plus, it can give you the chance to try out fun, new activities you haven’t yet discovered.

Use active recovery to cool down after your workout.

You may already have a cool-down routine that’s just as chill as you are, and be familiar with active recovery in this sense. Perhaps you complete a series of stretches after channeling your inner Beyoncé on the dance floor, or take a walk around the gym after bolting it like Usain on the treadmill.  If you don’t already have a cool-down practice in place, think about how you might continue your set at a relaxed pace.  Rather than reaching for your phone (we’re guilty too…) keep moving and turn your thoughts back to prepping the perfect Instagram post for when you reach your new personal best.

Schedule active recovery days in between intense workout days.

Some of the most popular classes at the gym are those designed for active recovery days. There’s something satisfying about taking a day to nurture your body and give it what it needs to get stronger. Fun active rest day workout classes and activities include:

• Walking
• Stretching
• Yoga
• Pilates

Take a look at all our active recovery classes.

What are the Benefits of Active Recovery Workouts?

So why should you schedule in active recovery, rather than spending your rest days wrapped in a blanket like a burrito, with the very same delicious snack in one hand? Well, burrito days are part of living our best life too, but active recovery can keep you optimistic, feeling your best and maintaining your body the right way. Here are a few benefits to adding active recovery to your workout routine:

• Just 5-10 minutes of active recovery after a workout can help to reduce your heart rate and enable you to recover quickly from your routine.
• Active recovery exercises keep your blood pumping, and can reduce muscle soreness.
• Building active recovery into your workout routine can also improve overall performance and help you resist fatigue for longer. 

Getting plenty of sleep, listening to calming music and drinking plenty of water can also help with muscle repair after intense exercise.

Unsure how to balance active recovery with intense workouts? Talk to a personal trainer.

Win the Ultimate Work From Home Prize Pack!

There are plenty of ways to increase your activity levels day to day. One way is to stand up and move around more often. Stay more active than ever with our Work From Home Prize Pack, which includes a standing desk to improve posture and encourage movement. You’ll also receive an ergonomic Logitech keyboard, laptop stand, desk lamp and Apple Airpods.

There are a number of easy ways to enter and win one of three Prize Packs, each valued at over $1000. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for your first entry, and visit us in-club for many more ways to win! Not a member yet? Activate your free 3-day pass and schedule a visit to get an extra entry into the giveaway.

Let Your Best Day of the Week Begin!

In case we didn’t mention it before, active recovery is awesome.

We’re open for low-intensity active rest day workout classes, and your friends at Fitness World are waiting for you to join the fun.

Active Recovery Classes

Show a little love to every muscle, and gratitude for every move your body can make, in yoga and stretch classes designed to make active recovery days your best days:

• Try YIN Yoga, and challenge yourself to hold simple poses for longer to achieve deeper stretches.
• Choose Recover & Reboot classes for stretches specifically designed for restoration.
• Take up Yoga Wind classes, inspired by Vinyasa practice.
• Try Yoga Earth to focus on posture and flexibility.
• Join us for Body in Balance, to experience a work out that fuses yoga, Pilates, strength and stretch exercises.

Come and stretch it out, strengthen up and feel the rewards of active recovery with your new Vancouver fitness buds. Find a class local to you – we can’t wait to see you there!