How do I improve my recovery time?

Question

I play ice hockey 2 to 3 times a week. I'm 37, female, and work full time, am the mom of two and lead a very busy, sometimes hectic life.

In general, I don't get as much sleep as I probably should (only 6 hours a night or less), which is probably the reason why it seems to take longer than it should for me to recover after a game.

It's everything: muscle recovery from the exertion -- I'm sore for as much as two days afterwards, even though I'm in good shape overall -- as well as recovery time for the many bumps, bruises, minor pulls and strains that are inevitable playing hockey as much as I do.

Is this just part of getting older and I should get used to it? Or is there a way I can help my body recover better so I can play as much as I do and not feel wrecked all the time?

I eat a decent diet, enough but not too much, reasonably healthy.

Thoughts? Fixes?

Answer 1

Welcome to your late 30's. Yes, it is part of getting older. I'm been training for 20 years and I can't recover anywhere near as quickly as I did even 5-7 years ago.

Hockey is a very intense sport that requires short bursts of speed and muscle contraction which becomes more difficult as you age. Here's some tips to help improve your recovery:

- Sleep, sleep sleep. Very important. A minimum of 7 and preferable 8 hours of sleep is required by the body (for most people) to adequately recover from sustained physical activity and hockey is definitely up there.

- Strength Conditioning. One of the best ways to prevent injury and to enhance muscle recovery is to strengthen the body overall with specific weight training exercises which will reduce the overall pulls, strains and even brusing as the body will be able to sustain more impact the more you weight train as muscle tissue becomes more elastic.

- Diet, diet, diet. High quality protein and complex carbs are crucial in your recovery after a tough game. Slack on your diet and you'll pay the price in the long-term. Always have a rich protein-carb meal after a tough game to help restore glycogen levels and repair muscle tissue. Whey protein and brown rice are the by far the best way to replenish after a game.

- Tone it down. You're not 20 anymore and you can't play like a 20 year-old. Be wiser on the ice and be a good play maker rather than a body checker. Make the right decisions on plays that will put your body out of harms way. Easier said than done....I know, but keep it mind and it will make a world of difference as you keep playing the game in your 40s.

- Epsom Salt baths. You can get them at any pharmacy. High magnesium content in epsom salt draws toxins out of muscle and aids recovery.

- Creatine. Natural and very effective. Hockey players use the creatine system in the body for short bursts of speed (less than 10s) and creatine can help power immensly for this sport like no other supplement. Some hockey players I've trained even have gone as far to say that it has helped a lot with recovery.

Bottom Line. Know your limits. Don't push body as hard as you did 15 years ago and you'll be able to continue enjoying the sport for many more years.

Answer 2

I believe, you are over doing the play.At 37 you can not have sramina of what you had at 16. The reason for your overdoing is you like to play Ice hockey. In life everything has to be in limit at that point of time. in other words you have to fix the time as to how much of it will give you optimum pleasure. Obviously, you are enjoying Ice hockey and you therefore tend to over do the same with respect to your physical condition today. Derivin pleasure should be looked in totality. The first part is the pleasure you derive while you are playing and secondly the pleasure you actually have after the play.The fact is that after play what you areexpiriencing is just the opposite ofthe pleasure.Therefore, in reality the total pleasure derived by you is much less then you actually felt at the time of playing. In other words, you must restrict your playing in such a way that all the after effects should be minimised or eliminated. The other solution is to increase the efficiency of your blood cells, by giving it a power to throw out all Toxins that you inherit in your food, atmosphere, medicines especially COLAS & JUNK food.

Answer 3

Though u have a busy life check out some time to spend some time with ur family members out side atleast twice in a week this will bring u out of hectic feeling.get ur dinner early in the night and have some walk to get sleep.u can play ur hockey all the time all that u feel is just a part of the strain after u play.just dont stick on to same work even it is job or house hold work try always something new.and think on ur interesting topic anything u like.

Answer 4

Make sure you eat something as soon as you can after your games. Right after exercise (in 30-45 min or less) your muscles are most receptive to taking in calories to repair themselves. I workout 1-2 times daily (I've been training for triathlons) and doing this has made a huge difference in my recovery time.

A nap after exercise and getting more sleep at night of course would also help, but if you're not able to change your lifestyle, I'd try eating right after games. Also stretching some if you have time.

Answer 5

I recently found a product to help fight the muscle fatigue, and help with athletic performance.

You can't find it in stores, only directly from the company. If you'd like more info: http://kristicasey.ahealthcafe.com

But more sleep & more proteins might help. More carbs on game days might help too. The good ones though. They stay with your body longer without being turned into sugar/ stored fats as readily. Hope that helps.

Answer 6

You probably should get more sleep. Do you eat breakfast? That might help if you don't do that now.

Answer 7

I mean it would take time in your life but you should do yoga.

Answer 8

hectic life.

Answer 9

there are many ways