But we also need to be able torecoverfrom that stress to make use of it.

So what do you do if it feels like your workouts are beating you up?

The first step is to see to it that you have your recovery basics covered.

Well discuss what those are below.

But dont forget that fatigue isnt always a matter of under-recovering.

Sometimes fatigue is to be expected, especially if youre ramping up toward a big goal.

No marathoner ever says I feel great!

when theyre four or five weeks out.

So lets look at what that involves.

Food

First up is food.

Protein is probably the first thing you think of when it comes to eating for recovery.

Next up we have carbs.

Carbohydrates, which include starches and sugars, are your bodys preferred source of energy during workouts.

(you could adapt to training without carbs, somewhat.)

So if youre feeling fatigued during your workouts, confirm to eat some carbsbefore or during them.

Another big factor is just getting a healthy diet: Are you eating vegetables?

Getting at leastsomefats, instead of trying to go so low-fat youre missing out on this essential nutrient?

Finally, we have the total amount of food youre eating.

If youre eating in a slight deficitsay, 300 calories less than what youre burningyoull probably recover just fine.

In extreme cases, this becomesRED-S, or relative energy deficiency in sport.

Sleep

Sleep is important for recovery, and you already know that from daily life.

The things that help you get betterqualitysleep are also the things that help you getenoughsleep.

Trythis guide to sleep hygieneto get started.

The more work you do, the more work your body can handle.

Thats the basic idea here.

Your body isnt used to working that hard.

So dont fall into the trap of assumingrestis the same thing asrecovery.

Food, sleep, and work capacity are the big levers it’s possible for you to pull.

If something in that list seems to be working well for you, by all means keep doing it.

It may depend on the pop in of massage, or on how you measure recovery.

The flip side is that if somethingdoesntseem to be helping, you should probably quit.

Some of the things we do for recovery actually have evidence suggesting that they do the opposite.

So when in doubt, stick to the basics.