Laura S. Conley

Supplements

How I Recovered After My First Spartan Race

Well it’s official. I am a Spartan! Aroo Aroo! (I never thought I would EVER say that!) Anyway that short race definitely pushed my limits and my muscles to new levels. But what about afterwards? After all the fun and excitement is over all that is left is lingering soreness. Those aches and pains can leave you feeling down and out from training unless you take a proactive approach. Here are my top tips for speedy Spartan Recovery:

1. Get a proper warm-up PRIOR to race start! This means getting your muscles fully warm and mobile before you start sprinting to those obstacles in the race. Go for a medium jog/run until you are out of breath and sweating. YES, Sweating! If you aren’t fully breaking a sweat and out of breath, you are NOT warm yet! Then, go through some range of motion drills to get mobility in all the joints you will be working that day. When you start warm, you’ll be prepared to hit the obstacles better and have less soreness the next day.

2. Post race cool down and stretch: Once you’ve taken enough finisher photos, be sure to do a proper cool down and stretch. I recommend bringing a foam roller or trigger ball with you to roll out your muscles briefly. Also, if you are in wet/muddy clothes be sure to get into some clean, dry clothes as soon as possible! You want your muscles to stay warm and supple; not tense up with cold dampness.

3. Nutrition: Immediately after the race you need to rehydrate as much as possible! Many people make the mistake of eating too much and not drinking enough water following the race. Yes getting carbs and protein is important, but water is really the key here! As far as food goes; you’ll want to replenish muscle stores quickly so I recommend a recovery drink of some kind. Something with a mixture of 4:1 or 3:1 Carbs to Protein is best. There are many products available, I advise Hammer Nutrition Recoverite. Otherwise try making your own snack (i.e. banana with protein shake). Then later on have a balanced meal with lots of vegetables (you need these extra antioxidants and minerals), clean protein and a little healthy fat. Avoid the temptation to “reward” yourself with junk food. Even though you think you “earned it”, this will only cause more inflammation in your body and make you feel worse later on! Hold off on the cheat meal until your body has recovered more. **Use #5 below as reward instead!

4. Supplements: I always keep these on hand:

  • Turmeric/Cur-cumin (fights inflammation WAY better than Advil or Ibuprofen)
  • Electrolytes (to replace what was lost durning the event)
  • BCAA’s and Glutamine (help repair damaged tissue faster)
  • Magnesium (relaxes tense and sore muscles, aids in delayed soreness)
  • Omega-3, DHA’s (also help reduce inflammation and lubricate joints)

5. Lastly, I do something nice for my body such as an Epsom salt bath, jacuzzi or massage. No explanation needed here. It just feels good and we all know the benefits of a nice massage for our aching body! Do something to treat yourself and really luxuriate in it!

Remember: These are a few recovery aids, meaning your body will likely still feel sore and need rest. Don’t be surprised if you have to dial it down for a bit until you are back to 100%. Take the time you need before going back to hardcore workouts, you’ll come back even stronger and better for your next event!

To Supplement or Not To Supplement…

Today, I’ll discuss the best supplements to use when you are in stage one burn out.

First of all let’s talk about what to remove from your diet. When it comes to things to toss out of your diet, you should start with sugar, caffeine, and processed foods—especially carbohydrates like bread. These foods really mess with your blood sugar levels and cause more cortisol release and more strain on your adrenal glands. Beyond emotional and physical stress, the adrenal glands respond to the erratic ups and downs of blood sugar. Too many carbohydrates can play havoc on these glands.

So, for starters we have to remove some of the stress on the adrenal glans that are working overtime. Now, we can talk about the right supplements to support them. One great adaptogenic herb is Rhodiola. This herb helps your body come back to homeostasis and better cope with stress on the cellular level. This is also a great herb to improve your mood.

Second, is omega-3 fatty acid’s. These are found in fish oil’s and other natural oils. Your body needs plenty of healthy omega-3’s to build cellular membranes and many other molecules necessary for stress reduction. I recommend getting the best quality fish oil so you are not getting any mercury or metal contamination.

Another supplement necessary when under stress is B vitamin complex. Your body requires more B vitamins the more stress you are under. When your body is under stress it just burns right through all your B vitamins even if you are eating a healthy nutritious diet. This will also help with energy production to give you more energy throughout your day.

Your body consumes more minerals when under stress. For example, 98% of the population is deficient in magnesium. Most people should supplement with a good source of magnesium. The recommended dosage is about five times your bodyweight in milligrams. Magnesium is also great for calming you down. I recommend taking a quality magnesium supplement in the evening before bed to help you sleep better.

When you are pushing your body it’s really easy to burn through all of your nutrients, especially trace minerals such as selenium, zinc, etc. I recommend taking some trace mineral drops in your water each day to ensure that you are getting enough.

The bottom line when it comes to supplements and your health is it’s always better to test and know for sure what your specific needs are. These are blanket generic recommendations, however your particular body may require more or less of specific supplements depending on your current diet and lifestyle stressors. For more information about specific testing you can do and to find out more, schedule a free consultation with Laura today.